Pokemon Ranger - Covered Tracks
by LadyCharizard
Summary: Almia Shadows' sequel. Top Ranger Alexa returns home as she and Keith are sent to Johto to thwart the deeds of Jordan Lopez, a Poacher behind the disruption of the disappearing wildlife in Johto and the neighbouring Kanto. But can they do this before Pokémon cease to be in the two regions? Lifespan: December 3rd 2011 - July 7th 2012. Alexa & her family (c) LadyCharizard.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – Dangers Close To Home**

It was a clear, yet mildly chilly night somewhere in Johto. The diurnal Pokémon had retired for the day and the nocturnal Pokémon were up and about. The sounds of the Hoothoot echoed throughout the land. In a clearing was a group of Stantler, sleeping blissfully under the gentle glow of the moonlight. There were foals among the adults.

A black Jeep silently drove along the dirt road and stopped near the sleeping group. One of the three figures inside the Jeep stood up and tinkered with something in the back. The driver and the front seat passenger smirked at the Stantler. While the darkness veiled their appearance, the driver was a male with long hair, and the passenger was a scrawny, yet big chested, young woman with wild hair.

"There they are," the driver smirked.

"They're ripe for the picking," the woman agreed.

"Don't be so dramatic," the third man said sternly. The cigarette in his mouth only gave enough light to reveal him to be a Caucasian male with a deep brown beard. He held up a relatively small bazooka and aimed it at the Stantler.

"Seriously, though, why are we after those things?" the woman asked.

"Because their antlers bring in a lot of money for just one pair," the driver replied.

"If you paid attention, you wouldn't have asked," the older man sighed. The woman pouted. "Rev it up, Andy." With a loud bang from the bazooka, a net was released at exactly the same moment the driver accelerated instantly, with a satisfied grin on his face.

Keenan awoke gently, yawning a little as he sat up to stretch his arms. His plush duvet fell from his bare chest. Carefully rubbing one eye, he looked out of his bedroom window. It was a bright sunny day, but, despite being half-asleep still, the condensation on the window panes hasn't escaped the boy's notice. He knew it would be a cold day.

Fully clothed in his usual red attire, he and his Vaporeon, Iara walked down the stairs. He immediately saw his father at the kitchen table, looking oddly like a typical father in the morning; dressed in a business suite and reading a newspaper with a mug of coffee next to his elbow. Before he could greet his father, Keenan was greeted by the radio.

"Pokémon Trainers and residents alike are being advised to take caution as reports of wild Pokémon randomly attacking humans is on the rise in the Kanto and Johto regions." The broadcast worried Keenan, but listened intently to the rest of the story. "In other related news, the population of wild Pokémon in Kanto and Johto, according the Pokémon Researchers, is on the decline. There is no evidence to explain this phenomenon." Hayden scoffed.

"Well, maybe if the police actually did what they're being paid to do, there would actually be some evidence," he complained, talking over the radio. It didn't matter to Keenan; the story had finished and some rock music had started playing.

"But...What if it's something that's out of their hands?" he asked. He was curious, but he couldn't escape the gut feeling he had that something might be wrong.

"Who knows? But I do know this," Hayden replied, pausing briefly to take a drink from his warm beverage. "If the Ranger Union gets involved, it either means that it IS out of the police's hands...or it means that they just can't be bothered." Keenan wanted to laugh, as he always found his father's resentment of the police's professionalism humorous, but the news he had just heard worried him. He sat down at the kitchen table, pondering about what he had just heard. His mother, Lily, returned to the kitchen, holding a small package among a couple of generic-looking envelopes. She approached her son and sat the parcel near him.

"Here, your PokéGear skin's finally arrived," Lily smiled sweetly. "I don't see what took them so long, it was paid for in advance."

"Probably another case of gross misconduct," Hayden muttered grumpily, his eyes still fixated on the newspaper. "They'd better refund the cost of the express delivery like they said they would."

"Thanks," Keenan said half-heartedly. He took his bland blue and white PokéGear from his pocket and began to take the covering off.

After breakfast, and after having put his new green and orange skin on the PokéGear now strung around his neck, Keenan and Iara began to walk down Route 36. Keenan looked around at the surroundings. The Pokémon would usually hide during the day to avoid Pokémon trainers, but Keenan knew that they'd still be around. However, the silence all around him wasn't because of hiding Pokémon; he knew that Route 36 was affected by the disappearances he had heard about, and assumed that there wasn't a single wild Pokémon on the entire route. Iara looked up at her human friend with concern; she knew the broadcast was still fresh on his young mind. He took the PokéGear from around his neck and opened it. After pressing several buttons on the device, he held it to his ear and waited.

Keith and Buizel flew over the Almia region, headed towards the large building with a tree on the roof; the odd building was, undoubtedly, Almia's Ranger Union. The young Ranger smiled at what he had spotted on the roof; his fellow Ranger and love, Alexa, with a Buneary on her shoulder. The Buneary had a bell on a green ribbon around her neck and looked more well built compared to Luana's Buneary, despite the similar age. The Staraptor descended in front of the pair and Keith hopped off the raptor's back. Keith released the Staraptor from his styler's humane control and the bird was free to go. Keith and Alexa almost looked parallel to one another; both had a small Pokémon on their right shoulders.

"Hey. You all right?" Keith asked. Alexa's already cheerful smile grew a little more cheerful.

"Perfect," she responded. "I heard you were at the Hia Valley."

"Yeah, melting overgrown ice cubes," he confirmed, rolling his eyes in frustration. He faced Alexa again. "I heard you were mountain climbing again."

"Yeah, a Shieldon got stuck in the Peril Cliffs," Alexa explained. "But it didn't help that the geologists that reported the Shieldon were gawking at my backside," Alexa sighed, frowning a little. Keith moaned.

"You'd think they've never seen a girl before." Alexa gave him an awkward look.

"They WERE girls." Keith looked at her, wide-eyed. Alexa's Buneary was the only one to notice Rhythmi arriving onto the roof, looking a bit concerned.

"Guys?" The two Rangers looked back at their Operator friend in confusion. "Sorry to interrupt, but the professor wants to see you both right away."

"Thanks, Rhythmi," Keith smiled.

"C'mon, Jollie," Alexa smiled towards her Buneary.

"Buh-neary!" Jollie cheered as she hopped off of her friend's shoulder. She hopped after Rhythmi as Alexa and Keith followed. Buizel remained on Keith's shoulder, happy with where he was.

Rhythmi led Keith and Alexa to the Conference Room to meet with Professor Hastings. Alexa felt mildly nostalgic being there with Keith at her side; the last time that happened, the pair had just been promoted to Top Rangers and had met for the first time since graduation. But there was no time to reminisce, Alexa thought, noticing the serious look on the old man's face.

"I have a conundrum for you two," he began. "Alexa, your brother has brought the Pokémon attacks to my attention, suspecting a link to the declining population of wild Pokémon in Kanto and Johto."

"Oh, gosh," Alexa said quietly in shock; this was the first she had heard of the disappearances and of the attacks.

"So...Pokémon are attacking humans because they're disappearing?" Keith asked, mildly confused; if there was such a connection, Keith couldn't understand it.

"That, Keith, is what I want you and Alexa to investigate," Hastings nodded. "Find a possible connection between them and solve the mystery."

"Both of us?" Alexa questioned, having heard her name from the professor's mouth.

"Yes. You know this better than the rest of us, Alexa, but Kanto and Johto are connected, and both regions share the same problem. Two Rangers to investigate two regions...sounds appropriate, yes?"

"Sounds like it," Keith agreed.

"This is going to be your first joint mission if I'm not mistaken," Hastings continued. "You are both in charge of this mission, but you mustn't let your personal lives come between you while on duty," he warned politely. He knew sending two Rangers who were romantically involved on the same mission had its risks. However, he also knew that Alexa was well acquainted with Kanto and Johto, the latter being her home region, and that Keith was just as good a Ranger as she was.

"We'll try," Keith nodded. Alexa folded her arms and looked up at the ceiling in thought.

"There's no Ranger Base in either region, so..." She eventually looked forward again and shrugged while carrying a nervous smile on her face. "Looks like I'm going back home." Jollie hopped on the spot happily at the thought. Hastings laughed a little.

"A little unorthodox, I'll admit, but it does spare us the trouble of finding accommodation," he smiled.

"Wait a minute..." Keith looked at Alexa with one eyebrow raised. "You mean we'll be staying with your parents again?"

"Is that a problem?" Hastings asked. Keith, realising that his words could be taken to a different context than he intended, looked at the professor nervously.

"N-n-no! I didn't mean it like that, it's j-just that I stayed with them enough times as it is here in Almia, I-I just don't want to outstay my welcome."

"What're you talking about? My family loves you!" Alexa said gleefully. "Besides, I'm sure they'd agree that staying with us is far better than finding accommodation at such short notice."

"Are you sure? I just don't want to get on Hayden's bad side..." Alexa laughed.

"You haven't even seen it! Besides, he only gets mad easily at misconduct! He's always getting frustrated about work and the police."

"The police?" Hastings questioned.

"The police in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh are Pokémon Trainers, like me to some extent," Alexa explained, on a slightly more serious note. "But Dad thinks the police spend far too much time battling other Trainers than doing their jobs. While the crime rate in those regions is low, it still rubs Dad up the wrong way, knowing that they're not doing what they're being paid to do."

"Hmm...that might end up becoming something the Union will look into," Hastings mused, rubbing his chin. "Especially if it turned out that there was a large scale criminal operation in place somewhere and the region's police did nothing about it..." Alexa's heart sank. What Hastings had just described was exactly how she ended up with her trauma from three years ago; she was involved with Team Galactic's activities because the Sinnoh Police Department grossly neglected their duty, so she had to take matters into her own hands. But all it got her was a three year long trauma and memories she'd very much rather see the back of. Noticing her solemn look, Jollie jumped up and held Alexa as tight as she could, giving the saddened girl as big a hug as she possibly could. Realising the little bunny's intention, Alexa cheered up and held her softly.

"Anyway, that's enough digressing," Hastings said suddenly, having paused to think about his own words; he was apparently tempted to investigate the matter himself. "If the pair of you leave for Johto immediately, you should be there by the evening at the very most. I would advise beginning the investigation tomorrow."

"Thanks, professor," Alexa smiled.

"We'll keep you posted if anything comes up," Keith added.

"All the best of luck to you. Oh, and Alexa? Give your parents my regards," Hastings smiled. Alexa smiled and nodded at her superior before exiting the room with Keith.

The sun had begun to set by the time Keenan decided to leave the Ruins of Alph; it was his favourite place to be when he felt glum. Looking at Unown hieroglyphics somehow eases his mind if he ever had something bugging him. He looked at his feet for most of his return trip home, but looked straight up as soon as a large bird-like silhouette flew over him. Two Staraptor flew overhead, headed straight for Violet City. Keenan ran after the two birds, Iara struggling to keep up.

Keenan eventually stopped near his house as he saw the two Staraptor landing near the front porch. A smile grew on his face as he saw the two individuals that rode on their backs. While he didn't fully understand why they were in Johto, but he instantly recognised them as Keith and Alexa. He called out to them and ran over to them. Iara had caught up by the time Keenan ran off again, so she moaned and ran a few more yards after her trainer. Alexa was immediately greeted by a loving hug from her little brother, which she returned.

"Hey, how're you doing, kiddo?" Alexa asked, affectionately rubbing her brother's hair.

"Great, now that you're here," Keenan replied. He looked up at the two Rangers; while he bore a smile, Alexa could still tell he was confused. "But why are you here?"

"Apparently, a little birdie told the Ranger Union that the Pokémon around here and Kanto are getting more hostile. That and they're disappearing," Keith explained. Keenan looked directly at his sister; her expression hadn't changed from the moment her brother flung himself at her.

"They sent you, sis?" he asked, sounding extremely hopeful. Alexa closed her eyes, but maintained her smile.

"I guess so. This means I'll be here for a while. Again," she chuckled. Keenan's eyes seemed to glisten with delight; his faith in his sister was almost unwavering, and he knew in his heart that if anyone could get to the bottom of the current mystery, she could.

"Sweet! And Keith's staying with us, right?"

"Uh..." Keith shied away, still nervous about the idea of staying with Alexa's family for the umpteenth time. "I suppose..."

"Awesome! That means you can experience what Johto has to offer!" Keenan smiled. Keith felt more at ease, but it didn't help the fact that the sleeping arrangements were mirrored from Alexa's period of suspension from the Ranger Union. "Come on!"

"Huh?"

"We need to explain everything to my parents," Alexa explained simply, taking hold of Keith's hand.

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry, I'll show you around after we've explained everything," Alexa said reassuringly, winking at him.

"That's not what I meant," Keith sighed as he was almost dragged into the house.

Keith gulped as he walked across the threshold, but he felt more at ease as he looked around; the ground floor of the house looked almost like the house in Chicole Village, only more spacious and gave off a warmer vibe. There was a flat screen television in one corner of the room, but it appeared to be seldom used. In front of the television were a set of brown faux-leather sofas; those looked well used. Tidus, Hayden's Typhlosion, was having an afternoon nap on the scarlet red rug in between the television and the three-seat sofa. Keith smiled at how content the veteran Pokémon looked. The kitchen looked slightly more modern compared to the kitchen in Chicole Village; the silver fridge-freezer had an ice cube dispenser on the door, the oven and microwave looked state of the art, and Keith also spotted an ice cream maker on the marble counter. After taking the environment in, he finally looked towards Alexa's parents; Lily was already greeting her daughter with a hug and a few kisses, but Hayden was fighting against the newspaper as it refused to fold away neatly. Hayden eventually triumphed and put on a welcoming attitude as he approached Keith and Alexa.

"Good to see you again," Hayden smiled, patting Keith on the shoulder. "What can we do for you?" Keith lost his smile.

"Have you heard about the Pokémon disappearances?" he asked. Hayden let out a frustrated groan as he looked away from his daughter's lover.

"They've been banging on about it all day, it's hard not to hear about it," he complained. Trying not to appear angry, he faced the two teens again. "I take it the Ranger Union caught wind of it then?"

"I called them," Keenan confessed. "Well...the Union, not Alex specifically," he added, carrying a nervous grin. Hayden began to ponder, and he eventually nodded.

"Okay. I guess it is better the Ranger Union found out now than if it gets totally out of control," he said with a neutral expression about his face.

"The professor wants us to find out if there's a link between the decline in Pokémon population and the Pokémon attacks on humans," Alexa explained.

"And he somehow agrees with Alexa about us staying here would be easier than us finding a hotel or something," Keith added quietly; despite feeling more comfortable being around Alexa's parents, he was still nervous about Hayden's reaction to the proposal. Hayden nodded.

"I do too," he agreed, smiling at Keith. "There aren't really that many hotels around here, and the nearest one is in Goldenrod City. But getting a reservation there is kinda complicated."

"Because it's so busy?" Keith questioned.

"No, because the entire process takes forever," Hayden sighed. "Or so I've heard anyway, we've never needed to go there, seeing as we obviously live in Johto anyway."

"So I suppose this means you'll be staying with us for a while, Keith?" Lily asked, in her usual gentle voice. Keith still felt a little uneasy about the proposal, since he had already stayed with them plenty of times back in Almia.

"Sure, I guess..."

"Chin up; my room here's bigger than it was in Almia," Alexa smiled. "Then again, so's the whole house..."

"But the village house serves its purpose," Lily said optimistically.

"I guess this means this is going to be your base of operation while you're here, huh?" Keenan questioned.

"At least it'll be somewhere I can be myself at the same time," Alexa laughed.

"Oh, this means a shopping trip!" Lily said, almost excitedly. Keith got over his discomfort as he looked at Lily in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"If you're going to stay here, you are not having that uniform as your only attire," Hayden explained, pointing to Keith's well worn, yet clean uniform.

"But...we're supposed to wear these," Keith explained.

"I know that, Keith, but it'll need to be washed every day if that's all you'll be wearing," Hayden elaborated. "Lily and Alexa can take you to the department store in Goldenrod sometime tomorrow and help you pick some clothes for you."

"Wait...so you're not only okay with me staying here for, what, the umpteenth time, but you're also okay with giving me a new set of clothes!?" Keith asked, almost in shock.

"A set? Keith, I may be modest about my spending habits, but I'm no cheapskate." Hayden looked towards his chair in thought. "About...three or four sets might suffice..."

"What...?"

"It's all right, Keith, it's no trouble, really," Lily smiled. "Listen, I'm about to start cooking dinner; Alexa, why don't you show Keith around the house and I'll look after Buizel and Jollie?"

"Okie doke; I planned to show him around anyway," Alexa smiled. She held Keith's hand as she escorted him out of the room, showing him another, while Keenan took both Buizel and Jollie in his arms and took them over to the kitchen table.

Alexa was very thorough in her tour of the Thorndyke residence; she introduced Keith to the laundry room, where his uniform and other clothes would be washed, she lounge, where she and Keenan spent a good five years, each, of home study, the utility room near the back door, where Keenan usually kept his berry planting supplies, among other useful household items. Alexa finally showed Keith around upstairs. She was brief at first, pointing him to the attic hatch and identifying whose bedroom was whose. She showed him the main bathroom near Keenan's bedroom at the end of the hallway before finally stopping in front of her own bedroom door, in between Keenan's and her parents' bedrooms.

"And last, but not least, where you'll be staying; in my bedroom," Alexa smiled as she opened the door. Keith admired the tidiness of the room, but also took note of the décor. The walls were painted amethyst with a teal carpet that looked soft to touch. There was a beautifully crafted oak desk with a large oval mirror in front, with a pair of drawers on either side, and a deep ruby red stool, which had Ryder sat upon it, in front with a matching footrest. Ryder gave Keith a big smile and waved as Keith looked in his direction. He spotted some of the items laid out on the desk; different coloured deodorant spray bottles, a hair brush, the same headband he saw Alexa wear at Ollie and Elaine's wedding and, especially, the emerald necklace Alexa always wore whenever she was out of uniform. He noticed the balcony doors right in front of the room and took note of how clean they looked. He skimmed passed the velvet blue canopy bed and spotted the wardrobe on the wall on the same side as the bedroom door; he couldn't see it too well at his current angle.

"What do you think?" Alexa asked.

"I don't get why you changed your bedclothes when you left," came a voice unfamiliar to Keith. The mature yet playful voice came from the bed. Keith looked mildly disgruntled when he saw the shirtless male lying on the bed, looking somewhat seductive towards Alexa. The blue-eyed stranger had long red and black hair, dominantly black, tied with a green band near the bottom of the ponytail, a silver X pendant around his neck, blue jeans and black boots, as well as a small beard.

"Xavier! What're you doing looking seductive on my bed?" Alexa sighed in frustration.

"Yeah, that's my job!" Keith added. Alexa and Ryder both gave Keith an awkward look, as if to question why he said what he did. Keith looked between Ryder and Alexa. "What?"

"You're Keith, right?" Xavier asked, intrigued at the spiky haired teen. "Ryder's been telling me about you." Ryder smiled at his friends.

"S'up?" he greeted telepathically, waving a paw. Alexa smiled and waved back, but Keith, slightly growing suspicious of the stranger on Alexa's bed, faced Xavier.

"And you are..?"

"Xavier's the name. Nice to meet you."

"No, I mean in relation to Alexa?" Keith asked, his voice clearly showing his suspicion.

"I'm one of her Pokémon," Xavier shrugged.

"What?! Y-you look nothing like-" Keith stopped. As Xavier climbed off of the bed, a bright magenta wave of energy moved from his head down to his feet, gradually revealing his true identity; a Zoroark with a primarily black mane and jade green bangle near the bottom of his ponytail. "...ah." Xavier laughed.

"Did you really think she'd cheat on ya? I don't think so!" Keith blinked.

"But how're you talking?"

"Skywing taught him," Ryder explained. "He speaks fluent English too."

"He would do, he's a Chatot," Xavier laughed.

"...this will take some getting used to," Keith sighed.

"Why, you staying for a while?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah, it's about the disappearances and attacks," Alexa explained.

"So they got you on the case? Cool," Xavier smiled. "You gonna need any help with that?"

"All the help we can get, Xavier," Alexa replied. "We don't even know who's behind either predicament yet."

"Ouch." Xavier smiled again as he approached Keith, resting an arm over his shoulders. "Well, make yourself at home, boyo."

"I think I've done that too much as it is," Keith said nervously. Ryder chuckled as he rolled his eyes; he felt Keith had no need to be so anxious.

The remainder of the evening was peaceful. Despite Keith's anxiousness over dinner, he had settled in nicely, while Alexa merely adapted to the fact that she'd be spending her newest assignment in the comfort of her own home. It felt strange to her, but she had more important things to focus on.

When the morning dawned over Johto, Keith was reintroduced to the usual "hotel-like" breakfast the Thorndykes usually had; a variety of cereals, yoghurts and other usual knick-knacks one would probably have for breakfast. His anxiety had died completely by then.

After breakfast, Keith and Alexa returned to her bedroom to plot their next course of action. Keith sat on the bed with Buizel on his lap while Alexa lay on the bed, facing him from behind.

"Okay...Professor Hastings has put us in charge...but where the hell do we even start?" Keith moaned.

"It it were a case of poaching, which it might be, probably a good place to look is where they were last spotted," Alexa suggested.

"That brings us to the point about us not having a single clue about these alleged poachers are," Keith sighed. "I just wish there was more concrete evidence to suggest who or what is behind this whole thing."

"I'd say we need to work with what we've got, but that can't be applied if there's nothing to work from," Alexa said, starting to feel discouraged herself, despite the investigation having only just started.

"Starting an investigation with no evidence to work from; GREAT idea to send us on the job, Hastings!" Keith complained sarcastically. "Who does he think we are, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Moriarty?!"

"Watson," Alexa corrected. "Moriarty is Holmes' enemy."

"...oh."

"Look, don't throw in the towel before the match has even begun, there's got to be a place we can start," Alexa said, sounding hopeful.

"What about the Cliff Preserve?" Keenan suggested. Keith and Alexa faced the doorway and saw Keenan poking his head through. "Sorry, couldn't help overhearing."

"No, it's fine, don't worry about it," Alexa smiled.

"Need any help? Two heads are better than one, but three's even better," Keenan offered. Keith looked at Alexa with concern, remembering the last time Keenan offered his services and her reaction. Alexa sighed and smiled at her brother.

"Yeah, I think we'll need all the help we can get," she said, sounding somewhat submissive. "But the Cliff Preserve? It's worth a try, I guess..."

"If it is poachers, it'd be a good place, I suppose," Ryder agreed, who sat in the same place as yesterday evening, with a bag of unsalted peanuts in one paw.

"Alrighty then, let's get to it!" Xavier said eagerly, climbing out from under the bed. He then made his way to the balcony and opened the doors widely. He closed his eyes as his usual magenta energy wave moved down from his face to his feet, morphing his normal Zoroark body into that of a large red and navy blue eagle Pokémon. "All aboard!" Keith looked confused.

"Um..okay..?" Alexa took Xavier's Poké Ball from the desk near her bed and placed it in her pocket as she scrambled out of the bed. Keith got up and approached her as Keenan released Colin from his Poké Ball.

"Ryder, can you close the doors behind us, please?" Alexa asked.

"Sure," Ryder nodded. Keith and Alexa mounted onto Xavier's back while Keenan climbed onto Colin's. The two birds flew out of the room. Iara sat comfortably in front of Keenan while Buizel held onto Keith's shoulders for dear life. With a cyan glowing paw, Ryder psychically closed the balcony doors, as per Alexa's request.

Colin and Xavier soared into the air, but kept a relatively steady pace, to avoid losing their riders to death by falling.

"So, what Pokémon did you just become, Xavier?" Keith asked.

"Braviary," Xavier replied. "Dunno why, though, it was the first bird to come into my head. It's funny; I'm not overly keen on them, yet here we are."

"Hm. Hey, Alexa? What's the Cliff Preserve?" Keith asked, having forgotten about his lack of knowledge of the destination whilst preparing for departure. Alexa glanced back at Keith, as she sat in front of him.

"It was going to be the new Safari Zone when Fuchsia City's was failing," she began. "The Safari Warden refused to move, so a fund raising campaign started to keep it where it is. In the end, that saved the Safari Zone from closure, but the council didn't know what to do with the new site. So they made it into an actual preserve instead."

"What's the difference between the two anyway?" Keith questioned.

"The Safari Zone allows trainers to catch the residing Pokémon," Keenan explained. "But the preserve doesn't. The Safari Zone is where trainers have 30 special Poké Balls to capture as many Pokémon as they can or want under a certain time limit. The Cliff Preserve doesn't allow anybody to capture the Pokémon there, and is a place where either endangered and/or abandoned Pokémon go to live."

"It's better for abandoned Pokémon to be re-homed there," Alexa smiled. "It cuts the euthanasia rates significantly."

"Sounds like a good place to begin investigating after all."

"Alex, look!" Keenan exclaimed. Keith and Alexa looked down and saw what Keenan saw; a black Jeep driving along the road headed for the preserve.

"Kick it up a notch, Xavier."

"You got it, Alex. Colin, keep up!" Xavier stated.

"Fear," Colin nodded as the two birds flew faster.

Soon enough, Xavier and Colin flew over the preserve's gate and fences and landed in a clearing not too far from the entrance. Upon landing on the grass, Keith and Alexa hopped off quickly to allow Xavier to revert back to his former self. Colin flew back into the air.

"Wait, are you sure we won't get attacked here?" Keith asked.

"The Pokémon here are used to human company, we'll be fine," Keenan smiled.

"FEAR!" Colin squawked. From where they stood, Keenan, Keith and Alexa could spot the Jeep and a rugged-looking Skarmory heading for the gates.

"Something tells me they aren't the Preserve Wardens," Keenan gulped.

"They don't look it," Keith agreed.

"You three go hide; I gots me an idea," Xavier smirked. "Keenan, let out all of your Pokémon on my signal, okay?"

"Okay..?"

_SNAP!_

Skarmory's large talons broke through the once sturdy lock. The metal bird pushed the gates open a little, but the Jeep did the rest as the red-haired driver drove the vehicle through them.

The Jeep stopped in front of a group of resting Blitzle. In the sunlight, the three figures could be fully distinguished; the older man had deep brown hair, much like his beard, and he wore a dirty white shirt, grey shorts and brown leather boots. The driver had red hair, a blue headband and wore a green T-shirt and dark grey jeans. He also appeared to have a guitar bag on his back. The woman passenger's attire, however, left a lot to be desired; she had extremely wild blue and red hair, with an unrealistically large fringe covering half of her face, a tight and small pink shirt – if indeed it could be called a piece of clothing at all, shorts – which were so ridiculously short they could almost be mistaken for underwear if it weren't for the two thin straps around her waist.

"Huh; didn't expect to find those here," the driver said in confusion. The older man stood up with a small pistol in hand.

"Who cares? They're fair game," he said.

_BANG!_

He fired a single tranquillizer dart at one of the Blitzle, but, to his surprise, the dart went through the target and disappeared.

"What the-?"

"Jordan, I smell a trap!" the driver exclaimed. Jordan sighed.

"Thanks, Sherlock," he sighed.

"His name's Andy," the woman said quietly.

"Honestly, Gabby, do you not know sarcasm when you hear it?" Jordan's attention returned to the Blitzle when he saw one of them waking up. As it stood up, the rest of them disappeared. The lone Blitzle stepped on the dart stuck in the ground, breaking it with a single stomp from its hoof. Jordan smirked.

"Well now...I didn't think Blitzle could pull off a stunt like that." Blitzle smirked.

"They can't," Xavier replied. While the three Jeep-riders were in shock, Xavier held a hoof to his mouth and whistled.

_POP!_

Six Pokémon burst forth from the nearby bush and surrounded the Jeep and its occupants. Iara, Colin, Darcy and Ruby were among them, but the other two Pokémon were Mason, the Hitmontop with the needless bandage on his tail, and Lucius, the Ampharos who can be highly protective of his scarf. Xavier morphed back into his Zoroark self as Alexa, Keith and Keenan came out of hiding.

"But I can," Xavier smirked, satisfied at his accomplishment.

"This is as far as you go! You're the ones snatching all the Pokémon, aren't you?!" Keith asked demandingly.

"Great sentence structure," Alexa sighed sarcastically.

"Well we have to know if they are," Keith said quietly to Alexa. "Does grammar really matter at this point?"

"Hold on...those uniforms...you're not Rangers?" Jordan questioned, almost in disbelief.

"Top Rangers," Alexa elaborated.

"Dear Lord...they're accepting KIDS now," Jordan sighed as he chucked his pistol in the back of the Jeep. Keith and Alexa were left confused.

"You got guts, but, heh, you're a bit too young to be playing cops." Andy, the driver, looked towards Keenan. "Especially shorty there." Jordan looked at Keenan, failing to notice Alexa subtly moving closer to him.

"I ain't worried about him," Jordan shrugged as he took out a packet of Koffing brand cigarettes from his pocket. Keenan was left offended; more than anything, he disliked being underestimated.

"Hey!" Having spotted Alexa, the woman passenger, Gabby stood up and glared at her. Upon seeing her entire figure, the most distinguishing thing about her was her abnormally large bra size. If she indeed wore said item. She scoffed.

"And just, like, who are YOU, Blondie?" she asked rudely. Being the only blonde person in the vicinity, Alexa assumed Gabby was talking to her.

"Do you care?" she asked.

"I don't even care who YOU are, but you're all under arrest under suspicion of-" Jordan's abrupt laughter interrupted Keith's sentence.

"Listen, kids, this is an adult matter. Get caught up and there will be consequences," he warned.

"We're not scared," Alexa said simply. She was truthful in her word; neither she, Keith nor Keenan appeared intimidated by the three adults.

"No?" Jordan sighed. "Okay, sweetheart, I'll give you this; yes, we are stealing Pokémon left, right and centre."

"You're also why the remaining Pokémon are getting more and more hostile!?" Keenan exclaimed accusingly.

"Hey, we're not responsible for how the ones we leave behind feel about losing their buddies to us," Andy shrugged, retaining a weird satisfied grin on his face.

"But what do you do with the Pokémon you poach?" Alexa asked, mainly out of confusion.

"Yeah, I mean, you'd need to steal a lot of them to make the population decline," Keith agreed.

"HELL of a lot," Xavier added.

"We're not telling," Gabby smirked. No matter what her tone of voice may be, she retained a mildly childish kind of voice. "You've had your lot."

"Wait...why did we even tell 'em in the first place?" Andy asked in bewilderment.

"They're kids," Jordan replied bluntly. "They can't do any harm." Keith clenched his fists tightly.

"Wanna bet!?" Gabby scoffed.

"They're not kids. All I see is a wannabe, a shrimp and a tart," she said rudely. Keith wasn't sure which he was addressed as, but he instantly recognised what she was referring Alexa as.

"Hey, don't call her a tart!" he fumed.

"Keith...she can't even speak for herself," Alexa said, sounding playfully bored. Gabby leaned forward in disgust.

"What did you just say?!"

"Easy, Gabs. Look, boss, can't we just shut 'em up right now?" Andy asked.

"Hmm..can't hurt," Jordan shrugged as he finally took a cigarette out of the packet. "What're your names?" he asked as he pocketed the pack. Keith, Alexa and Keenan looked at one another in total confusion; why would an enemy ask for their names? And in such a polite manner, no less!

"Uh...Keith," Keith said finally, looking back at Jordan.

"Alexa."

"Keenan."

"Well then...Been nice knowing you," Jordan said simply, putting the cigarette in his mouth.

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!"

To their surprise, all seven Pokémon were forcefully recalled back into their Poké Balls. Keith and Alexa looked around, but Keenan spotted the Skarmory flying overhead and hovering above the Jeep, mainly near Jordan. Skarmory's eyes shone bright yellow.

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!"

Large, sharp rocks suddenly burst out of the ground around Keith, Alexa and Keenan, trapping them in place. Alexa quickly grabbed Keenan and held him close for protection, but Keith held onto them both for the same purpose as more rocks fell on top of them, burying them where they stood. The commotion ceased, and all that remained was a pile of large rocks; Alexa, Keith and Keenan couldn't be seen anywhere.

"Well, that was fun," Andy smiled. Taking out a lighter from his pocket, Jordan lit up his cigarette and inhaled.

"Andy, get us out of here," he said, blowing out the deadly smoke from his mouth.

"What? Without a catch?"

"That's not like you, Jordan," Gabby said as she looked up at her superior, attempting to look enticing to the man.

"Just floor it, Andy," Jordan said quietly, ignoring the seductive woman completely.

"You're the boss," Andy complied as he started the engine again.

"I need to reload anyway; used up most of the nets on the Stantler and Heracross." The Jeep drove out of the preserve, with the Skarmory following overhead, potentially leaving Keith, Alexa and Keenan...for dead.

_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Keith's New Partner**

Xavier and Iara escaped from their Poké Balls with two synchronised pops. Having allegedly put effort into their escape, the two panted lightly as they looked around.

"Damnit...must've ran off when we weren't looking," Xavier complained. Iara immediately spotted the rock pile during her surveying. Panicky, she ran towards it and struggled and strained to move a single boulder. Xavier, too, spotted the heap; he was also panicky, but kept his temperament masterfully. Sighing, he approached the tiny Vaporeon.

"Here, let me." Xavier held onto the rock tightly as he strained to pull it back. "Alex! You three okay in there!?" he cried. Iara squealed and leapt away as Xavier succeeded in moving one boulder. The humans were still nowhere to be seen, however. Xavier growled deeply; someone was going to pay dearly for this despicable act. One by one, Xavier pushed the rocks away with sheer brute force. As soon as Xavier and Iara spotted a shoulder, a flicker of hope sparked in their hearts, despite it bleeding. Xavier was careful with the rest of the rocks; he now knew Keith, Alexa and Keenan were inside, and decided to not take any chances with their health. One false move could mean the absolute demise for all three of them. Iara watched anxiously as Xavier worked harder and harder to clear away the rocky prison.

Finally, Xavier could stop; Keith, Alexa and Keenan were free. Keenan was entirely unharmed, thanks to his sister's shielding. Alexa herself would have sustained more damage if Keith hadn't protected her as well as Keenan, escaping with only a cut to her leg and a few bruises here and there. Keith, however, sustained the most damage; his back was bruised and cut, and his shoulder was bleeding due to a large cut. Keith was slumped over the Thorndyke kin, and Alexa held her brother in her arms, all of them by now on their knees. Buizel held onto Keith's shorts. Xavier, exhausted from the work, panted with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly. Keith dared not to move at risk of doing further harm to his back.

"I-I think so," Keenan replied, shaken up from the whole experience. Xavier proceeded to help Keith onto his feet as painlessly as possible.

"I think one of them hit my leg...it stings," Alexa complained, looking down at the long and dusty cut down her leg. As she looked, she couldn't tell what was making her injury sting; she assumed it was either the dust around it or the fact that it was across her knee, which would inevitably make the wound sting as soon as she moved her knee.

"Aagh...my back...!" Keith complained, wincing from the agony of the countless bruising to his back. Xavier laughed nervously.

"Well this is a good start, huh? They left."

"Damn," Keith cussed under his breath. Xavier moved one final rock to let the humans out of the rock circle. Alexa flinched at every step, but looked back at the circular formation of the leftover boulders.

"Kinda clever, though," she admitted. "Skarmory used Roar to send the Pokémon back to their Poké Balls and Rock Tomb to-"

"Try and kill us," Keenan said, looking a little wound up. Keith laughed a little.

"Too bad for them that it didn't work...sucks to be them if we meet again."

"Not with that back of yours," Xavier cautioned. Iara greeted Keenan with a friendly nuzzle. Xavier looked back at his own trainer, and spotted the blood running down the rest of her leg. "Or with that leg of yours."

"We don't even know where they went, so I don't think meeting them again is going to be possible right now," Alexa sighed.

The group suddenly focused their attention on another incoming vehicle. It was a jet green 4x4, not dissimilar to Jordan's own 4x4, with a bleach blonde man in the driving seat and a Grovyle in the passenger seat. The driver of the vehicle stood up in his seat and swerved over the door without opening it. His Grovyle mimicked his manoeuvre. Alexa noted the man's uniform; he wore a simple navy blue baseball cap with matching polo shirt and combat shorts. There was a distinct logo on one side of his shirt; in bright yellow stitching, the Cliff Preserve logo was sewn on the left hand side. The very same logo was sewn into the centre of his cap. Grovyle possessed an arm band matching the colours of the man's uniform, logo and all.

"Is everyone all right?" the man asked with concern.

"Who-?"

"It's okay, I'm the good guy," the man smiled. "Willis Mitchell, Preserve Officer."

"Grovyle," Grovyle added, giving the group a little salute. Feeling at ease, Alexa smiled.

"Alexa, Top Ranger," she replied in the same friendly manner. "You were almost poached, Officer."

"That explains those rocks," Willis mused. "Hop in; I'll take you guys to sick bay."

Despite her leg wound, Alexa helped Xavier in helping Keith into the preserve Jeep. The preserve logo was painted on the doors in yellow paint. Willis directed Keenan and Iara to the passengers seat, and the pair sat next to Grovyle. Iara and Grovyle immediately struck up a conversation while Xavier helped Alexa and Keith into the back, with Buizel following. Willis literally jumped back into the 4x4 and drove off carefully.

_Elsewhere..._

Jordan, Gabby and Andy walked down a set of stairs leading into a basement of sorts. The lights were off, so the contents of the basement couldn't all be identified; at the most, one could see various different crates and cages, but there were also varying silhouettes around the room. There were claw marks on the walls, blood stains on the floor and walls, and the floor itself was damaged because of, presumably, cages being dragged along the floor. Andy dragged a cage down with him, with a brown Deerling with a yellow spot below its neck unconscious in the middle of it. Andy looked at Jordan in confusion.

"So...what're we doing with this thing again?" he asked. "We've already got the Sawsbuck like we wanted."

"It's got nothin' going for it," Jordan began, lighting up another cigarette. "But it might get us some dough if we sell it."

"That's about all it's got going for it," Andy sighed as Jordan exhaled the deadly smoke.

"Hey, do you think those pests are dead?" Gabby asked, almost at random. She hadn't sounded concerned, nor was she curious in the slightest, leaving Andy confused about her question.

"Not my problem," Jordan said plainly as he made his way over to the grey and blue toolbox sat on one side of the basement.

"It was your Skarmory that did the deed," Gabby said as she followed Jordan.

"My previous statement still stands, Gabby," Jordan sighed, taking out a large syringe from the toolbox.

"Ah well. Even if they survived, I doubt they can stop us," Andy smirked. Picking out a large blade, which could be used to skin something, Jordan closed the toolbox and stood upright.

"When you're done sounding like a cliché comic book villain," he sighed. "Check the Deerling over; can't get a good price if it's losing a leg."

"I'd personally get rid of the thing right here and now, boss," Andy said, looking at the seemingly worthless foal.

"Look, we had to take it because the Sawsbuck wouldn't get away from it," Jordan explained, filling the syringe with some kind of clear liquid from a brown bottle. "We wanted the Sawsbuck on its own, but ended up with two for the price of one. Might as well put that Deerling to use as well," he added, flicking the syringe a little. "Know this, though, Andy; if it gets away, it doesn't matter. But try not to let it anyway."

"No problem," Andy complied. Taking the two essentials with him, Jordan left the basement. Gabby followed him out of the basement. Andy dragged Deerling's cage a little further before leaving it near the foot of the staircase.

Keith, Alexa and Keenan sat in what appeared to be a typical doctor's examining room. Keith was shirtless with a bandage wrapped around his torso and a dressing on his shoulder. Alexa sat next to him with a bandage around her knee. Keenan sat on a nearby chair, with Iara on his lap and Buizel on his shoulder. Willis sat on another chair in front of Keith and Alexa, listening intently as the two young Rangers explained what transpired prior to the officer's arrival. Grovyle, arms folded, leaned against a wall behind Willis; while he looked bored out of his mind, he, too, was keenly listening to the tale.

"Huh; that explains a lot," Willis began. "The Safari Warden warned me about this. From what you described, the trio whose Skarmory buried you was the same trio who raided the Safari Zone last week." Keith's eyes widened at the new development. He was instantly curious.

"What happened then?" he asked.

"The warden's told us the poachers got away with at least an Ursaring, a Ponyta, a Scyther and a Pinsir," Willis replied.

"At least?" Alexa questioned.

"He's yet to make a proper count," Willis elaborated. Xavier huffed; he'd taken the form of an Aipom, and was hanging from the curtain rail near the examination chair Keith and Alexa sat on.

"And it's taking him a week to make that count, because..?"

"Let's just say he feels the Pokémon need to calm down before he gets a proper figure," Willis said with a nervous smile.

"They're agitated?" Alexa assumed.

"For safety reasons, he's closed the Safari Zone to the public," Willis concluded. Keith looked disheartened.

"...I think we've got our hands full with this one," he sighed. Alexa nodded in agreement.

"Think we should regroup, Alex?" Keenan asked worriedly. He, Keith and Xavier awaited Alexa's response, as if she was the one in charge of the entire investigation when the reality was that the investigation was jointed. During her silence, Alexa was comprehending what had happened to them in her mind, and recognised that Keenan was shaken up from having been buried alive, and Keith felt discouraged because of the fact that the poachers got the better of them on the first encounter. Alexa was demoralised for the very same reason. She lowered her head.

"...yeah..." she said finally, almost under her breath. Xavier jumped down from the curtain rail, changing back into his Zoroark form as he fell, and faced Alexa.

"Hey, come on now, chin up! It's only our first encounter with those bums, I doubt the next ones will result in a near death experience! Come on, don't give up yet!" Alexa sighed.

"You're right. Thanks, Xavier." Despite what she said, Xavier wasn't convinced that her heart was behind those words. He put a claw to his chin as he noticed the bandaged wounds on her and Keith.

"Maybe you should recover first, though," he said quietly, assuming he was encouraging the teens too soon.

"I'll inform the Safari Warden about what you told me, Alexa," Willis smiled. "And I'll see if the police can help as well."

"Somehow I don't think the police will be in any hurry to do anything about it, but thanks, Willis," Keenan said.

The little Deerling began to stir inside his prison. It took him a while for his vision to come back to him, but, as soon as it did, he shot up like a dart, hastily looking around at the unfamiliar and ominous surroundings. Terrified, he backed into one corner of the cage as far as he possibly could, still looking around as he did, hoping to make sense of the shadows around him. Andy approached the cage and looked down at the hyperventilating foal.

"About time you woke up," Andy complained. "I've been bored out of my mind waiting for you. At least now I can start a proper health check." Andy walked away from the cage momentarily. Taking advantage of Andy's absence, Deerling surveyed the area once more, but he couldn't make out the silhouettes hanging from the ceiling, no matter how hard he tried to see through the darkness. He could hardly make out a thing, which terrified him even more. Tears began to flow from his emerald green eyes.

Andy returned with an Arbok slithering alongside him. Andy crouched down in front of the cage. He showed no concern for the Deerling's frightened state of mind.

"Right, out you come," Andy said simply, opening the cage door. Deerling didn't budge; he was too frightened to make any form of noise and movement. He almost stopped breathing entirely. Andy sighed. " I said, come on," he said, losing patience. He reached into the cage, in an attempt to grab the frightened foal. In self-defence, Deerling slammed both front hooves down on Andy's hand. Yelling in pain, Andy retracted his arm and held onto his hand. Deerling ran out of the cage and quickly looked around for an exit.

"Oh no you don't! Arbok!"

"CHAARRR!" Arbok lunged at Deerling, but he pranced away from Arbok's venomous jaws, crashing mouth first into the gravel. Andy stood up as Arbok persisted in pursuing the panicky Deerling around the basement.

"Don't let it get away, Arbok!" Andy shouted furiously.

"CHAARR!" Arbok darted towards Deerling, poisonous fangs at the ready. Deerling braced himself as the flora-shaped tuft on his head shone brightly. Three different coloured beams burst forth from the tuft; one bright cyan, one golden yellow, and the other red-orange. The beams struck Arbok just below its mouth and sent it flying into one of the crates. With Andy distracted by his Arbok, Deerling raced up the steps, tripping up along the way, and broke out of the basement. Noticing the Deerling had escaped, Andy merely recalled his fatigued Arbok back into its Poké Ball and raced after the defiant foal.

"Get back here!" Andy yelled furiously. Deerling raced across the strange building and out of the front door, which was carelessly left open. Jordan, with an empty syringe in his hand, watched as Andy chased the Deerling. He sighed.

"GABBY! You didn't close the door again!" he fumed as he slammed the door behind Andy.

Deerling sped off into the woodlands. Andy couldn't keep up with Deerling on foot, but he soon released his Fearow from his Poké Ball. Contrary to Keenan's own Fearow, Andy's looked much more ferocious. Andy hopped onto his Fearow's back and the bird Pokémon soared into the air.

In a more peaceful part of the region, Darcy and Xavier, who had taken the form of an Arcanine, walked slowly down the rural path. Darcy had Keenan and Iara on her back, while Xavier had Keith, Alexa and Buizel on his. Keith sat behind Alexa, and Buizel was on Keith's shoulder. The walk felt long, for nobody dared to speak. Darcy and Xavier exchanged worried looks at one another; Keenan and the two Rangers knew they had little to worry about, and they couldn't understand why nobody was willing to talk. Finally, Keenan broke the silence.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?" Alexa asked.

"Why did you shield me?" Keenan asked. Alexa sighed.

"You're my brother; I didn't want you to get hurt," she explained. "I didn't think I needed to tell you that."

"I didn't want either of you to get hurt; that's why I shielded you, Alexa," Keith added.

"Thanks," Alexa said. Xavier looked towards Alexa, carrying a reassuring smile, hoping to cheer her up.

"The main thing is you all got out of it lightly."

"I dunno about that when it comes to me, though," Keith sighed.

"Either way, one of you's got to be the lucky charm," Xavier smiled. Keith smiled a little.

"Mine's Alexa, no doubt." Alexa remained silent, which worried Xavier and Keenan greatly.

"M-maybe...maybe the professor can ask Sven and Wendy to help," Keenan suggested.

"I don't know about that; they weren't exactly a brilliant help during Kincaid's final moments," Keith said sourly.

"I'm just exhausted," Alexa admitted. "It's nothing to worry about..."

"What, do you think you came back on duty too soon?" Keith asked worriedly.

"No," Alexa said instantly. "I spent too long off duty as it is; I only wanted a fortnight, but I guess karma caught up with me and gave me that chest infection..."

"Maybe it's because you're still rusty," Xavier suggested, facing forward again to look at where he was going. He didn't want to crash into a tree or something. "How long has it been since you recovered from it anyway?"

"About a month," Alexa guessed. "I don't know, though...could be two. I lost track a while back."

"BUI!" Buizel pointed up at the sky. Keith, Alexa, Keenan and Xavier spotted the tiny figure of Andy on his Fearow scanning the area below them.

"That jerk again?" Xavier sighed. Everyone watched as Fearow dived down towards the ground. Fearow flew back up, but with Deerling caught in his mighty talons. Buizel panicked, and quickly pitied the victim.

"It's the driver, I think...Xavier, can you help that Pokémon?" Alexa asked. Xavier smirked.

"Can and will," he complied. He waited for Keith and Alexa to climb off of his back before leaping into the air. As he leapt, his magenta energy wave moved quickly down his body, changing his form from Arcanine to Dragonite as he soared towards the villainous Fearow.

Andy spotted Xavier's transformation and eagerly awaited his arrival. Deerling cried in Fearow's firm grip. Xavier confronted Andy.

"Let the Deerling go, Junk Monkey!" Xavier demanded.

"No thanks; I'd rather keep it alive," Andy replied, pointing down. Looking down, Xavier realised that his demand wasn't the best one to make, especially at that altitude. He looked back at Andy.

"Same, but I'd rather he be free from you!" he shouted.

"Listen, I don't have a problem with ignoring that thing, but orders is orders," Andy shrugged. Xavier immediately noticed the swollen hand. "I need to take it back."

"Since your boss tried to kill my pals, I can't let you do that. By the way, what happened to your hand anyway? Looks like you dipped it in grape juice or something."

"The little bastard stomped on it," Andy explained through his teeth, furious at Deerling's earlier attack on him. "I swear, if Jordan didn't want to try and sell it, I would've killed the fucking thing myself."

"Hey, whoa, watch the language! There's a minor present," Xavier said, hinting the trembling Deerling.

"I don't care. Now, if you'll excuse me, Deerling has an appointment with possible clients."

"You're not excused," Xavier said simply as his fist shone in a red-yellow light. Fearow flew up slightly, attempting to dodge the attack, but Xavier smirked; he wanted Fearow to move up. The fist struck the bird's chest, causing his grip on Deerling to break entirely. Deerling cried as he fell. His cries were short-lived, as he'd noticed Xavier had caught him before he fell too far. Xavier began to fly back to Alexa.

"Don't you worry, little guy, you'll be safe now," Xavier smiled. Deerling's smile was also short-lived when he spotted Fearow closing in on Xavier.

Xavier cried in pain as Fearow struck him dead in the centre of his back. He dropped Deerling, who began to scream again as he fell. Xavier's illusion faded and he, too, began to fall.

Deerling closed his eyes tightly, anticipating his demise. As soon as he felt another pair of arms holding onto him, he looked around in confusion and realised that Keith had caught him. Alexa tried to help Xavier, but the Zoroark fell on top of her and they both fell to the ground. Keith and Deerling looked down at them; they were both giddy from the impact.

"Whoa! You okay?!" Keith asked. Before Alexa could answer, if she could, Keith's attention turned to Andy, who descended in front of him. Keenan ignored Andy and tried to help Alexa and Xavier. Deerling recognised Andy and tried to hide away in Keith's arms. Andy was livid.

"Hand it over!" he demanded. Keith, despite not fully understanding Andy's motives for wanting the little Pokémon, stood up for Deerling.

"Not likely. Do me a favour and tell your boss we're still hanging. And we'll stop him," he said snidely.

"I doubt it. Give me the Deerling and I'll let you live," Andy threatened.

"You'll be going away empty handed," Keith stated as Xavier finally stood up. Despite his back pain, Xavier confronted Andy and ignited a small flame above his claw.

"Or will there be Roast Fearow on the menu?" he asked rhetorically. Andy remained silent, mentally considering his options. He wanted to make Deerling pay for potentially breaking his hand, but, at the same time, he knew that Jordan wasn't desperate to sell off the Season Pokémon.

"...fine. But know this, Spiky; Jordan will have your head as a trophy."

"I dare him to try," Keith said nastily.

"You'll eat those words...Keith," Andy smirked. He looked towards Alexa and Keenan. "Don't think you two are off the hook either; if you get in our way, Jordan won't hesitate to kill you, slowly and painfully."

"Wh- we didn't even do anything!" Keenan exclaimed.

"Yet. Oh, and, uh, Alexa? This is a genuine piece of advice for you; stay away from Gabby, she's looking for a catfight," Andy said, on a more casual note.

"Thanks for the warning," Alexa said sarcastically as Fearow flew away.

With Andy out of sight, Deerling finally lifted his head and looked around at his heroes. He sighed with relief and happily nuzzled Keith's chest. The act confused Keith, but he and Buizel were happy to know Deerling was safe. Alexa, Xavier, Keenan and Darcy gathered around him.

"What would Mr Sunshine want with this little dude anyway?" Xavier asked.

"I don't know, and I'd rather not find out," Alexa said quietly.

"Aww, he' so cute!" Despite Keenan's compliment, Deerling huddled up to Keith, hiding from those around him. Alexa smiled.

"And is already feeling safe with you, Keith," she added.

"Hey, can't Rangers have more than one partner Pokémon?" Keenan asked quickly.

"Yeah, but one at a time," Keith replied, not fully understanding the reason behind the young boy's curiosity.

"And Buizel would need a place to stay in the meantime," Alexa continued. "Ryder could keep him company at home." Keith looked between Keenan and Alexa in confusion.

"What're you implying?" he asked.

"If he's happy with it, Deerling could be your partner Pokémon number two," Alexa smiled. Deerling's ears twitched and smiled joyfully at the idea.

"Well..." Keith didn't look so sure.

"Oh come on, Keith! Alex can call upon any one of us 43 Pokémon to be her partner!" Xavier said encouragingly, emphasising the number forty-three. Alexa laughed nervously.

"Besides, if Buizel needs a rest, Deerling can take over," Keenan added. Keith sighed and smiled.

"Okay, you got me; I'll keep him," he said. Deerling licked Keith happily. Buizel was glad to have a new friend.

"By the way, why not give Deerling and Buizel nicknames?" Alexa suggested. Keith, Deerling and Buizel all faced her in confusion.

"Pardon?" Keith asked.

"Nicknames," Alexa replied. "Y'know, like how my Zoroark's nickname is Xavier or how Keenan's Rapidash has Darcy as her nickname. I find that giving Pokémon nicknames helps give a Pokémon a sense of identity, and not make them generic, if you will."

"..huh. Never thought about that," Keith said quietly.

"So how about it?" Keenan questioned eagerly.

"How do I know what to nickname them?" Keith asked.

"You'll know," Alexa smiled. Keith smiled nervously.

"That doesn't exactly help with anything," he chuckled. "Uh..." He looked at Deerling first. "Uh..." He looked back at Alexa. "Help?" Alexa laughed as she walked over to Deerling.

"Let me see...I think...Robbie." Deerling's eyes seemed to light up; he loved his new nickname. Robbie.

"Well he likes it at any rate," Keith smiled.

"Buizel's turn! What to name him...?" Alexa pondered.

"Bui!" Buizel insisted. Alexa looked at him in confusion.

"Yeah?"

"Bui," Buizel nodded.

"Whuh?" Alexa looked at Keith, smiling.

"Buizel's already chosen his nickname; Reese."

"Robbie and Reese...sounds good to me," Keenan smiled.

"I like them," Keith smiled. Keith placed Robbie back down on the floor, allowing him to walk on his own four hooves. He stayed close to his new friend as they, Alexa, Xavier, Darcy, with Keenan and Iara back on her back, and Buizel all continued their walk down the rural road.

"By the way, do Pokémon Trainers nickname their Pokémon?" Keith asked.

"Not all of them," Alexa replied. "Most don't bother, to be honest."

Gabby watched as Jordan moved away from his latest masterpiece, hidden in the shadows of the basement.

"Another fine piece," Gabby praised. "Damn you're good."

"Sucking up to me isn't working, Gabby, try something else," Jordan said plainly. He spotted Andy walking down the stairs, his hand still swollen.

"Jordan? I lost the Deerling," he said, somewhat tensely.

"Just as well; no takers for it," Jordan shrugged.

"I dunno why; it's cute," Gabby smiled.

"That explains it," Jordan grumbled.

"There's more. Those kids are alive."  
"Huh?!" Gabby was in utter disbelief.

"Keith, Alexa and Keenan? Hm." Jordan didn't appear too bothered about Andy's bombshell. Gabby faced him in shock.

"You're not worried?"

"No." Jordan gave the tiniest of smiles. "But this could be interesting..."

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Agitation**

Hayden and Lily sat contently at the kitchen table, having a casual conversation amongst themselves. Tidus lay on the carpet having his own conversation with Lily's Houndoom, Theo. The sun was setting and the sky glowed in a warm orange hue. The front door opened gently as Keenan and Xavier entered the house. Keith and Alexa followed behind, walking relatively slowly due to their earlier injuries. Robbie was the final one to enter the house, with Keith's Buizel, newly nicknamed Reese, riding on his back; anybody could tell that the two became good friends, which was relatively surprising, given they had met not a couple hours ago. Hayden and Lily immediately noticed Alexa and Keith's conditions, or lack thereof, and approached the teens.

"What happened, are you hurt?" Hayden asked worriedly.

"I-it's fine, we just had a close call," Alexa said casually. "This is Robbie, Keith's second partner Pokémon," she said, indicating the now cheery Deerling.

"Aw, he's a sweetheart," Lily smiled. "But are you sure you two are all right? You walked in strangely."

"My back hurts, that's all," Keith explained sheepishly. Hayden had assumed Alexa's limp was because of a problem with her ankle, but soon noticed the bandage around her knee.

"Are you sure that doesn't hurt?" Hayden asked, slightly more worried than before. Alexa smiled nervously.

"It hurts when I walk on it, but I'm sure that'll pass," she assumed. Tidus had spotted Keenan's lack of injury; he knew the boy followed his sister, so he automatically assumed that, if Keenan was around when Alexa got hurt, he would've gotten hurt too. Unless he was well protected.

"What happened anyway?" Hayden asked. Alexa momentarily looked away from her father, wondering if she should give him a straight answer or a brief one. Keith remained silent, allowing Alexa to make up her mind.

"We got hit by Rock Tomb," she finally replied. "We couldn't defend ourselves properly."

"But if Keenan was with you...why didn't he-?"

"I made sure he didn't get hurt, Mum; I protected him," Alexa replied instantly.

"And I protected them both," Keith added. "By the time we got out of it, the attackers had gone."

"They said they were the ones causing this epidemic," Keenan explained.

"Then I'd be careful if I were you. Both of you," Hayden cautioned the teens. They nodded in agreement as Hayden looked down at his son. "What about you? Are you helping them?"

"Y-yeah," Keenan said shyly. "I-I won't hold them back, Dad, I-"

"Nobody said you would, buddy," Hayden smiled. "But you should be careful as well."

"You got it, Dad," Keenan smiled.

"For now, though, I say you should all get some rest. Sounds like you had it rough today," Hayden advised. Alexa, Keith and Keenan agreed as they walked up the stairs. As Robbie and Xavier followed on, Hayden and Lily sat back down at the table.

"Are you sure letting Keenan help Alexa is a good idea?" Lily asked.

"I don't know," Hayden replied simply. "But I know that once his mind's made up, there's no changing it."

"That's true," Lily smiled. "Oh, shoot! I forgot about the-"

"Don't worry about that tonight," Hayden smiled, holding onto his wife's hand from across the table. "Let them rest first, then give them to him."

Gabby sat on a small stool as she bandaged the swollen hand of a very disgruntled Andy. The room around them looked plain and old; the wallpaper around them was blue and white, and looked as though it'd been there for years. The furniture looked almost like what one would see in a retirement home; plush sofas with a pink and cream floral design were around the room, the lampshade on the small table next to the recliner looked bland, yet frilly. The carpet had seen better days as well; its once bright blue colour had worn down to an almost grey colour, and appeared to not have been cleaned even once, and was fuzzy beyond belief. The fireplace looked plain, albeit sooty at the back, but it appeared to have been recently used. Several small logs were placed next to the fireplace, and a box of matches was conveniently placed atop the fireplace. Andy sat on the sofa near the mahogany coffee table, upon which was a first aid kit that Gabby was using to sort out his hand.

"Can you believe Jordan's reaction?" Gabby asked. "You told him those kids were still alive and he took it like it was no big deal!"

"To be honest, I wasn't all that surprised," Andy admitted reluctantly. "I mean, part of me knew they were alive; I didn't hear any agonised screaming."

"...there is that, yeah," Gabby agreed.

"I'm not concerned about the girl or the little guy. But there's something about Spike Head I don't like," Andy said quietly, almost in a growl at the very thought of Keith.

"I swear, if that little tart comes within two feet of me, I'll scratch her silly you won't recognise her when I'm done..!" Gabby hissed. Andy looked at her.

"What's your problem with her anyway?" he asked.

"You know how I feel about other girls!" Gabby huffed. Andy smirked, as he could guess what that feeling was; envy. "Besides...she looks...well..."

"She's DEFINITELY not a size Double G, that's for sure!" Andy laughed. Offended and furious, Gabby slapped her patient. Her sharp fingernails scratched Andy's cheek and almost made him bleed. "Ow...!"

"You two arguing again?" Jordan asked in a sigh as he entered the room. He held a glass of brown alcoholic liquid in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other. He tossed his cigarette into the fire place, took a tiny sip from his glass and spat it at the cigarette. In a small explosion, the fireplace was lit and began to burn brilliantly. He sat down on the recliner and sat his glass down on the smaller table nearby.

"Hey, boss, why aren't you concerned about the kids being alive?" Andy asked, holding onto his cheek with his free hand.

"Skarmory's performance was all for nowt," Gabby added, focused on bandaging her colleague's hand.

"I doubt Skarmory cares," Jordan began. "As for why I'm not worried?" he rhetorically asked, taking out his hunting knife from its belt case. "Well... If the wild Pokémon don't take care of them..." He turned the blade at an angle, causing Andy and Gabby to see their own reflections on the murderous apparatus. "...I will."

Keenan fell backwards onto his bed and looked up at his boring old ceiling after he had changed into a pair of black pyjamas. His expression made it hard to identify what he was feeling, but his frown hinted that it wasn't a good feeling. Ruby, his Misdreavus, materialised in front of him and looked at him with concern. The little ghost Pokémon took a little breath.

"I'm fine," Keenan sighed, answering the Pokémon before she could even ask if he was all right. His tone of voice corroborated with his expression; he was anything but fine. Iara hopped onto the bed and nuzzled the boy, knowing his claim to be a lie. Ruby stared at her trainer, her expression unchanged.

"Okay, okay, I'm not fine," Keenan finally admitted. "I just feel so bad; Keith and Alex got hurt and I didn't. How fair is that?"

"Misd?"

"Poreon, por-poreon?"

"Probably not...but, still, I'd rather have gotten hurt as well than to have not been hurt while my sister did," Keenan said. Iara rolled her eyes before she licked Keenan's cheek. Keenan smiled; he always appreciated her concern, being his oldest ally and friend. Ruby smiled after seeing Keenan cheering up.

Alexa and Keith sat on her bed, Alexa in a quaint white nightgown and Keith...just in his boxers. Robbie, Reese, Ryder and Xavier lay in the middle of the room, sleeping as a group. Alexa carefully removed the last of the bandage around his torso and looked at the damage on his back; he had two tremendously large purple, and red, to some extent, bruises on his back along with a couple of healed superficial cuts. The sight of the bruises alone made Alexa feel horrible deep inside.

"The cuts look a little better, but the bruises stick out like a Metapod in a Kakuna tree," she explained.

"At least I won't stain the bed," Keith teased. Alexa sighed as she moved over to sit next to him. The nightgown covered most of her legs, exposing only her ankles and hiding her leg wound.

"You didn't have to protect us like that," she said quietly. Keith looked at her, concerned.

"I wanted to. I couldn't stand there and let you get hurt," he explained.

"But remember what the professor said?" Alexa asked, looking at him. "We shouldn't let our personal lives get in the way of our work."

"That won't stop me looking out for you," Keith stated firmly. "Or Keenan. Look...I love you, Alexa; I care about you, no matter how I view you."

"I care about you too. That's why I'd rather you didn't put yourself at risk for my sake. We're both Rangers, there's no need to protect me." Keith's silence turned into a sheepish snigger as he smiled nervously.

"Sorry, Kitten. I guess I've forgotten you're a tough cookie," he confessed. Alexa pulled her knees up and held onto them.

"I'm not that tough," she said. Keith was astonished that Alexa was selling herself short, or so he believed.

"Yes you are; you fought a guy three times your size and half as smart," Keith explained, trying to put on a cheerful smile.

"That went well," Alexa said sarcastically.

"You did pretty well until that piledriver," Keith said. He then smacked himself on the head, immediately regretting what he had said.

"Which could've broken my neck," Alexa pouted.

"Hey, come on, this sourpuss doesn't suit you. You tried your best," Keith said, gently running his fingers through her hair. "That's all that matters." Alexa looked at him. Her frown became a gentle smile in seconds upon noticing his.

"Thanks, Keith." Keith pulled her gently towards him and gently rested his head on hers.

"Of course." He looked at her sweetly as he slowly tilted her head up to face him eye to eye. Their eyes closed softly as his lips touched hers.

It was the middle of the night, and the nocturnal Pokémon, if there were indeed any willing to do so, were dominating the night. A large Conkeldurr dragged an unconscious Donphan, by the trunk, along the floor. Conkelduur tossed the defeated elephant Pokémon into the back of the 4x4, along with several others of its kind, some with smaller tusks than others. Andy looked satisfied with their catch, but Gabby looked bored. Suddenly, a thought popped up in her head.

"Say, Jordan?"

"What is it, Gabby," Jordan asked plainly as he recalled the muscular Pokémon back into its Poké Ball. "Urgh, there's got to be an easier way to do this thing," he complained to himself.

"If the wild Pokémon are gonna take out the kids," she began. "Maybe they could be...encouraged?" she asked, putting on a seductive smile. Jordan, completely ignoring the temptation entirely, took her idea into consideration.

"Hmm...and I know just the place. Andy, a detour is a must."

"Gotcha."

_The next morning..._

Lily handed Keith a couple of big, gold coloured carrier bags. Keith accepted them, despite being confused about the gesture. He was dressed only in his uniform shorts, while Alexa was fully dressed in her own uniform.

"Thanks. Um...what's in them?" Keith asked carefully, not wanting to offend Lily.

"Clothes," Lily explained. "I did some shopping at the Goldenrod Mall the other day. I based the sizes on your uniform, but I must admit the trouser lengths are a total guess..."

"Thanks, Lily," Keith smiled. "No offence, but I didn't think you were serious about all this."

"None taken, sweetie. I just thought you and Alexa could carry out most of your duty out of uniform," she said.

"Uh, we could get in trouble for it, Mum," Alexa said with uncertainty.

"What the professor doesn't know won't hurt him," Lily winked. "Besides, I sincerely doubt that not wearing your uniform while on duty is grounds for discharge."

"I don't think there're any rules about that," Alexa mused.

"There you go then," Lily laughed. "I'll see you downstairs."

"Thanks, Mum," Alexa smiled as her mother left the room. Keith flung the bags onto Alexa's relatively messy bed as he rummaged through the contents.

"Yeah, well, I'm still wearing my styler. Can't do my duty without it," he stated.

"Wearing your styler with casual clothes? Sounds strange, but I'll roll with it," Alexa said casually.

"So what's the deal with the mall anyway?" Keith asked.

"There're four in each region; the Celadon Mall, Goldenrod Mall, Lilycove Mall and Veilstone Mall," Alexa explained. "Dad doesn't own the chain in Unova. Then again, there's not a proper mall chain in Unova; according to Troy, the Poké Marts are in the Pokémon Centres there."

"Troy?"

"My cousin; he sent me a batch of eggs from Unova, one of which was Xavier's egg," Alexa said briefly. "Anyway, the only real mall is the Route 9 Mall, simply called Shopping Mall Nine...Dad's grateful that he doesn't own that mall."

"Why's that?" Keith asked, pulling out a green long-sleeved shirt from one of the bags.

"They let trainers battle in the mall, apparently," Alexa replied. "Troy told me about it; apparently, someone was battling and it almost set the whole building alight. Dad thinks the Shopping Mall Nine is a disgrace. 'A real mall has more than just stuff for Pokémon Trainers', he says, so he changed that with the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh malls."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I should take you to the Goldenrod Mall sometime," Alexa said keenly. "It's a lot better than it used to be. There's so much you could do there you could spend the whole day there!" Keith looked at her rather slyly.

"Miss Thorndyke, are you asking me out on a date?" he asked playfully. Alexa's eyes widened and blushed rather heavily.

"I-I, uh..." Keith broke out laughing.

"Your face!" He laughed again as Alexa shook her head rapidly, attempting to shake off the embarrassment.

"I-"

"Sure."

"...what?"

"I'd love to see the mall with you," Keith replied truthfully, bearing a gentle smile on his face. Alexa was still blushing, but it was most definitely not from embarrassment.

"...n-not right now, o-obviously, there's still an epidemic to sort out." Keith smirked.

"All the more reason for us to kick their asses post haste then."

Keith finally chose his outfit from the selection of clothes Lily had purchased for him; he walked down the stairs, along with Alexa and Robbie, dressed in the green shirt he picked out earlier, dark blue jeans – the trouser length was relatively long, almost touching the floor – and black lace trainers. He wore the dog tags Alexa gave to him on top of his shirt. He loved those tags; they were a souvenir from someone close to him, and they made him feel better after having confessed his side of events when it came to the Yellow Gem incident that both he and Alexa regretted very much.

"And you're certain it wasn't an employee?" Hayden asked, rather angrily. Before she could greet him a good morning, Alexa found her father on his mobile phone; whoever he was talking to, it was evident that he hadn't received good news. "And why didn't the night staff do anything about the theft?!" he demanded.

"Theft..?" Alexa asked herself, keeping her voice low in volume to not disturb her father's conversation.

"Oh, those guys are SO going to hear about my feelings on that..!" he growled furiously. Alexa scoffed slightly. She knew that only one thing could make him that furious when it came to work; gross misconduct. "It's just lucky it was just one crate. No, no, I'll deal with them myself. Thanks, Clare." He took the phone from his ear and ended the call.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Alexa asked. Hayden looked towards Alexa and Keith. Hayden noticed Keith's new attire, but didn't comment on it.

"A crate of evolution stones was stolen from the Celadon Mall," he replied.

"Evolution stones?" Keith asked in bewilderment.

"Celadon Mall sells four types of them; Fire, Water, Leaf and Thunder. As their name suggests, they evolve Pokémon," Hayden explained. "Celadon Mall is the only mall to sell those products, but I'm working on having them available in the other three malls at the moment."

"But who would steal just ONE crate of them, though?" Alexa asked in complete bafflement.

"Whoever needs 160 total stones," Hayden guessed. "40 of each type; that's what each crate contains." Keenan and Iara ran down the stairs, both looking panicky.

"Listen to this!" he exclaimed, holding up his PokéGear; it was tuned into the radio. A broadcast started playing.

"Fuchsia City's Safari Zone has been deemed dangerous after an unusual raid in which no Pokémon were stolen. However, the resident Pokémon have grown even more hostile than ever before, according to Mr Bains, Safari Warden. Civilians are advised to keep clear of the Safari Zone until further notice."

"We should investigate," Keith said to Alexa. "It might be those three again." Alexa nodded in agreement.

"But why would they go there without stealing anything?" she asked.

"That's what we'd be investigating," Keith replied. Alexa approached a shelf near the front door and took out a grey and pink PokéGear. She searched for a contact and held the device to her ear.

"Skywing, it's me. Can you ask Chaser to meet me at the house please? You're an angel, thank you. Bye." Alexa ceased the call and placed her PokéGear back where she found it.

"What kind of name is Skywing?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's my Chatot, remember?" she asked as she walked back to him. Keith was bewildered.

"Cha...and he can use a phone?!"

"Yeah, he has his own PokéGear," Alexa replied. Keith was even more baffled than he was when he found out she was on the phone to her own Pokémon.

"...the hell?!"

"It's best not to think too deeply into it," Keenan laughed nervously. "Skywing is actually a very intelligent Pokémon."

"...no kidding."

The sound of someone knocking on glass diverts everyone's attention; they turn and find a Flygon wearing a navy blue neckerchief at the window. He waved happily at his trainer, who, in turn, smiled and waved back.

"That's our ride," Alexa said to Keith. "Who're you taking? Robbie or Reese?"

"Actually," Lily began. "Ryder and Reese left earlier this morning."

"Where?" Keith asked, somewhat worriedly.

"Oh, just outside the Sprout Tower is all," Lily replied. "Reese wanted a little training, and the Sprout Tower is a training ground for those wanting to challenge Falkner for the Zephyr Badge."

"Oh. I guess it's Robbie then," Keith smiled. "Besides, Reese's been with me for ages now; he could use a break."

"Deerling~!" Robbie rubbed his head against Keith's leg happily, excited to work with him. Keith, Alexa, Keenan and Robbie ran outside. Lily followed them outside.

"Hold on a second! You're not going to eat breakfast first?" she asked as Keenan released Colin from his Poké Ball. Alexa looked back at her mother.

"No time to, I'm afraid," she said with regret. Lily smiled.

"If you're back by lunchtime, we can compensate for that," she winked.

"Thanks. We'll be as quick as we can, but it's hard to tell how long these things take," Alexa said, climbing onto Chaser's back. Keith followed her and Keenan and Iara climbed onto Colin's back. Both Pokémon took off from the ground, but Chaser held Robbie in his arms before he took flight.

Chaser and Colin landed in the middle of lush wilderness. The environment looked almost like something from a nature hike brochure, only...it was utterly deserted. Not a single Pokémon was out in the open. Keith, Alexa and Keenan looked around in confusion; the lack of activity in the Safari Zone, even when it was closed to the public, was abnormal. Keenan recalled his Fearow to his Poké Ball.

"Now what?" Keith asked openly.

"Maybe we should split up; cover more ground," Alexa suggested.

"Yeah, this place is big," Keenan agreed.

"Okay, we'll do that. We can meet at the gates when we're done," Keith suggested while Keenan released Darcy from her Poké Ball. He climbed onto her back.

"Be careful, everyone," Alexa advised. "There could be Pokémon out there waiting to ambush us."

"Got it," Keenan nodded. "Come on, Darcy." Darcy, Keith and Alexa walked away in three different directions. From the nearby pond, a long yellow beak poked through the many reeds growing in the water.

Keith and Robbie found themselves in the area closest to the main gates of the entire zone; they could see the gates in the distance. As they walked cautiously, Keith made note of the many tyre tracks that ruined the grass beneath them. The tracks were everywhere, as if someone drove around the area like they were heavily intoxicated. Looking at the tracks in more detail, Keith found the pattern to be...familiar.

Loud, angry snarling interrupted Keith's concentration as a pack of Nidorino and Nidorina began to close in on him and Robbie. They were all lightly wounded to a certain degree, all glaring at the boys with a certain look...it was almost as if they lost all sense of mercy. Robbie was immediately intimidated. Keith braced himself.

ROAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!

Keith took Robbie under one arm and jumped away from the pouncing Pokémon. The Nidorino and Nidorina crashed into each other while Keith landed in one of the tyre tracks, doing further damage to his already damaged back. He sucked up the pain as he stood up and fired his capture disc at the momentarily stunned Pokémon. As the group scattered, Keith had to use his capture disc carefully; as he was capturing one Pokémon, another might attack the capture disc, which, if he didn't take care, could break the disc and use up all of his styler's energy. Keith took notice of Robbie's attempt to fight back; he was tackling into them, firing barrages of sharp leaves from his shining tuft, bucking them with his back feet, anything he could do to fight off the potentially rabid Pokémon. Keith was intrigued at the Deerling's true strength.

Keenan and Darcy wandered into an area with a small artificially made hill in the middle. He and Iara, who sat comfortably on his lap, looked around as Darcy walked. The area had suffered a fair amount of damage, some areas looking more recently damaged than others. Keenan spotted something shiny on the ground. Iara hopped off of Darcy's back, picked the object up with her mouth, hopped back onto the Rapidash's back and gave the item to Keenan. He inspected the item in his palm; it appeared to be a dart of sorts, with the main body looking like a container that once had some kind of liquid inside. The needle was missing, and the tube didn't appear to have been in the area for long; there wasn't enough condensation inside for it to have been lying there for more than 12 hours.

The sound of running feet of many a heavy beast broke the boy's train of thought as a herd of Rhyhorn charged at the Rapidash. Darcy snorted flames from her nostrils and breathed out a twister of fire from her mouth, which surrounded her and her riders, thus temporarily protecting her, Keenan and Iara from the Rhyhorn. The Rhyhorn dared not to attack the flames, but it turned out to be their own mistake; Iara leapt from Darcy's back and into the nearby lake. Some of the Rhyhorn focused on Iara while the others struggled against Darcy's powerful hooves. She absorbed sunlight in the horn on her head and produced a growing sphere of solar energy in her gaping mouth. While she was charging her attack, Darcy aligned herself with the lake Iara dived in. Soon enough, all of the Rhyhorn were in one place, as was planned. Keenan and Darcy awaited Iara's cue.

Alexa and Chaser, completely ignoring an explosion in a different area, looked around an area with a large lake and an old warehouse type building. Their search was fruitless until they approached the lake; the stolen crate of evolution stones was resting on the bottom of the lake, with the lid nowhere to be seen. Alexa took note of the contents of the crate; there were no Leaf Stones to be seen and little under half of the Water Stones had been used. What Chaser took note of was the behaviour of the lake-dwelling Pokémon; they were frightened out of their wits. He saw two Goldeen, a Magikarp and even a Dratini huddled up to one another, seemingly praying to Arceus for something. Chaser pitied the water Pokémon.

"VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

_BONK!_

A Victreebel jumped out of the tree and crashed on top of Chaser. Victreebel bounced off of the fatigued Flygon and was ready to confront Alexa. Alexa helped Chaser up from the ground before noticing the Victreebel's battle stance.

"Hey, there shouldn't be any Victreebel here! Unless..." Alexa looked back at the waterlogged crate of evolution stones. She looked at the Victreebel, wide-eyed. "Uh oh..."

"VIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Chaser immediately zoomed into action, slashing at the attacking Victreebel with large green-glowing claws. Victreebel constantly tried to attack the speedy dragon with its vine, but Chaser, being far superior in speed, dodged all attacks. Chaser looked back at Alexa.

"GON!"

"Capture on!" Alexa exclaimed as her capture disc spun towards Victreebel. Lucky for Alexa, Victreebel was too focused on Chaser to notice the capture disc circling it. Soon enough, Chaser stopped attacking as the capture disc served its purpose; Victreebel's violent temper died as soon as the white line around it enveloped it and faded.

"Capture complete," Alexa sighed with relief. But just as that one Victreebel hopped away, more hopped onto the scene and surrounded Alexa and Chaser. Both of them moaned in exasperation.

"Oh man...! Now I wish I had more than just you, Chaser..."

"Flygon..."

Keith and Robbie ran towards Keenan, having heard the earlier explosion. The herd of Rhyhorn lay defeated before the young boy. Darcy and Iara were highly satisfied at their handiwork.

"Was that you?" Keith asked. Keenan looked at him.

"Solarbeam and Hydro Pump combo," he explained.

"Nice," Keith smiled. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah, this," Keenan answered, holding out the broken dart in his hand. Keith walked closer to him and took the dart in his hand for a closer look.

"Isn't this the same one the big guy used in the preserve?" he questioned rhetorically.

"Would that mean those three have been here if it is?" Keenan asked.

"Recently too; this dart doesn't look like it's been here for long. Sure beats those tyre tracks I found at any rate."

"That doesn't explain the theft, though," Keenan sighed.

A startled scream pierces through the silent atmosphere. Keenan and Keith looked towards the direction the scream came from, surprised; it sounded all too familiar to them.

"Alexa!" Keith cried.

"Quick, get on!" Keenan exclaimed as Darcy lowered herself. Keith jumped onto her back, behind Keenan. Knowing Keith was safely on her back, Darcy galloped towards the source of Alexa's cry. Iara raced after her, but struggled to keep up.

With fury in his eyes, Chaser tried constantly to battle his way towards the bloated Victreebel, but was continuously blocked by the rest of the colony. A tornado of sand blew most of the Victreebel away, but another lunged towards Chaser.

Darcy burst onto the scene, tackling into the attacking Victreebel, defending Chaser in the process. Iara tackled into another Victreebel. Keenan and Keith looked around worriedly; there was no sign of Alexa.

"Chaser! Where's Alex?" Keenan asked worriedly.

"HELP!" Keenan and Keith heard Alexa's muffled plea from...inside the bloated Victreebel. They were horrified; she was, effectively, eaten alive!

"Alex?!"

"Let her go!" Keith demanded to the Victreebel. Victreebel ignored Keith's demand and fled, swinging from tree to tree with its vine. "Stupid Victreebel...I'll make him pay for kidnapping Alexa!" Keith chased after Victreebel. Chaser followed after grabbing Alexa's discarded capture disc. Darcy ran after them.

"Keith, wait! I don't think that's Victreebel's motive!" he exclaimed.

The chase proved annoying for the bulky Victreebel; he was slow anyway, but carrying Alexa inside him made him slower. Upon entering the clearing, he stopped fleeing and confronted his pursuers once they caught up to him.

"Robbie, make him spit her out..!"

"Ling!" Robbie nodded, keen to attack Victreebel.

"Keith, no! if you attack Victreebel, Alexa might get hurt!" Keenan exclaimed.

"Like Victreebel won't anyway?!"

"Uh, technically," Keenan began nervously. "H-he's, uh...heh-heh...digesting her..."

"...WHAT?!" Keith was both horrified and furious, but not intentionally with Keenan. "And you expect us NOT to attack Victreebel?! Then how-"

"Use your styler!" Alexa cried from inside the bowels, if it actually has any, of the Flycatcher Pokémon. Keith almost slapped himself for forgetting the Ranger's trademark tool.

"Capture on!" he yelled as he fired his capture disc at the sluggish Victreebel. Chaser threw Alexa's own capture disc over his shoulder and flew towards Victreebel. Keenan caught the disc, but Victreebel managed to catch the irate Flygon in his vine.

Keenan, Keith, Robbie, Darcy and Iara watched in bewilderment as Victreebel slammed Chaser continuously into the ground, completely ignoring the capture disc, around him like a mallet. Keith managed to keep his focus and successfully capture the Victreebel, dropping the giddy Flygon on the ground.

Victreebel looked around in confusion at first, but then grew panicky. Spotting Keith approaching him, he cowered away. Keith stood over the frightened Pokémon.

"Spit her out. Now!" he demanded. Victreebel screeched in fright as he caved into Keith's instruction. He quickly spat Alexa out of his mouth and bounced away in terror. Darcy, Robbie and Iara approached the saliva-soaked Alexa. She was breathing heavily, attempting to endure the disgusting feeling of being drenched in Victreebel saliva and stomach acid, which had burned a large majority of her uniform. The only part of her uniform that was still intact was her styler, which was only missing the capture disc. Iara immediately started soaking Alexa with a light Water Gun attack to clean off the saliva and acid. Her hair was completely messy and became tangled as a result of being trapped in such a confined space. She also appeared to be covered in soot in some places, which puzzled Keenan. Nobody noticed that she was holding onto something in one hand.

"Alex, are you hurt?!" Keenan asked worriedly as he hopped off of Darcy's back. Alexa faced her brother with a weak smile, still breathing somewhat heavily.

"Just my pride...what's left of it anyway," she replied nervously. "Thanks."

"Why did that Victreebel swallow you?!" Keith asked, still comprehending the fact she was almost digested alive.

"I dunno. But I found this," Alexa replied, revealing the item she clenched in her hand; it was a metal tube of sorts, but one end looked as though something broke out of it. The open end looked burned, as if it exploded.

"That was INSIDE Victreebel?!" Keenan asked in horror.

"Apparently. It was in some sort of artificial poffin, Maybe it was responsible for the lack of acidity of Victreebel's stomach acid...it was strong enough to burn through my uniform but not my skin."

"But that doesn't give it the right to eat you," Keith complained. "But, still...I am glad you're okay, Alexa."

"At least we know what became of the Leaf Stones that were stolen," Alexa said. Keenan and Keith looked puzzled.

"Huh?"

"There shouldn't be Victreebel in the Safari Zone; whoever broke in must've stolen the evolution stones beforehand. The rest are in a lake." Keith took out the dart Keenan had found and showed it to Alexa.

"Keenan found this as well. We think it could be the same one those three used in the preserve," he explained.

"Considering there aren't any other poachers around here, I'd have to agree," Alexa said, carefully observing the dart.

"Does the Safari Zone have a 4x4?" Keenan asked.

"Yeah, but they use it to observe Pokémon to my knowledge. Why?" Alexa questioned.

"I found some tyre tracks earlier, and I mentioned them briefly to Keenan. Whoever drove them must've been drunk or just stupid," Keith replied. "Come to think of it, they reminded me of that 4x4 those three drove."

"Okay, we need to get their names; we can't keep calling them "those three" whenever we talk about them," Alexa sighed.

"Agreed," Keenan nodded. "Well, now what do we do?"

"I guess Alexa and I can use our stylers to calm the rest of the Safari Pokémon down," Keith began.

"Then I think we should fish out the stolen crate. Not all of the stones are there, but I think Dad would appreciate having it back," Alexa concluded.

Keith, Alexa and Keenan, along with their Pokémon, travelled around the Safari Zone, Keith and Alexa capturing and calming the wild Pokémon along the way. They were oblivious to the mysterious bird-like shadow watching their every move. It was late afternoon by the time every single Pokémon in the Safari Zone were calm and docile, in spite of the forced evolutions. Keith and Alexa collapsed, back to back, as the last few Poliwraths jumped into the pond nearby, panting.

"I still think we have our hands full with all this," Keith said breathlessly.

"Yeah," Alexa agreed, in a whisper. The two forced themselves up off the ground as they proceeded to another area.

Keith and Alexa, together, pulled out the stolen crate from the lake. Alexa was in the water, pushing the crate up, while Keith remained on the shore, pulling the crate out of the lake. As Keith helped Alexa out of the lake, Keenan spotted a Swanna flying out of the trees and away from the Safari Zone.

"Alex? Do Swanna live here?" he asked.

"Not during winter," Alexa replied, beginning to shiver.

"Well..one just flew off."

Swanna flew over a harbour and into an artificially made cave on the beach. There, she flew over to Gabby, who sat on one of the many rocks in the cave. Jordan sat on another, with a laptop on his lap; he was busy, typing on it occasionally. Andy sat on another rock, with his black and orange guitar in front of him, playing a few cords with his good hand. Swanna shook her head.

"Oh, poo, they're still alive!" she complained.

"Hmm...seems like they're tougher than I gave them credit for," Jordan said, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Can't we just confront them directly?" Andy asked.

"Hold on...two of them are Rangers, right?" Gabby questioned. "Their Pokémon don't battle, do they? That's why the kid's hangin' round with 'em."

"Doesn't matter," Jordan murmured.

"Swaa-swaaaah." Gabby looked at her Swanna.

"A Flygon?"

"What about a Flygon?" Andy asked.

"She saw the tart with a Flygon," Gabby explained.

"Hang on a mo, didn't she have a Zoroark with her when we met 'em?" Andy questioned in bemusement.

"Two possibilities; either she has more than one Pokémon," Jordan began, typing at his laptop. "Or she's not the average Ranger she appears to be."

"Swanna said Flygon was a good fighter," Gabby added. Swanna nodded in confirmation.

"Fighter, huh? Hmm...interesting."

"Partner Pokémon don't fight, do they?" Andy asked.

"They're not trained to do so, no," Jordan replied.

"So, if Flygon has been trained...?" Gabby questioned.

"Then perhaps we should take the more direct approach; her Zoroark might also be trained and she could have others," Jordan explained.

"So you think she's a Trainer? Sounds weird for a Ranger group to recruit a Trainer," Andy laughed.

"I wonder if she and the kid are any good," Gabby pondered. Jordan smirked a little.

"Only one way to find out; challenge them."

Keith and Alexa, carrying the crate between them, returned to the house after Keenan, Iara and Robbie had entered the house. Hayden and Lily completely ignored the crate, immediately noticing Alexa's state.

"Hi, Dad. Got it back, but the Leaf Stones are missing and have been used up," Alexa said.

"Gosh, what happened to you, Alexa?! You're a mess!" Lily exclaimed.

"Almost being eaten was messy, yeah," Alexa said quietly.

"What?!" Both of the parents were horrified.

"The Leaf Stones must've been used on the Weepinbell," Alexa continued.

"We think the same guys who agitated the Pokémon stole the stones, Dad," Keenan explained.

"If the Leaf Stones were used on the Safari's Weepinbell, then that's a reasonable deduction," Hayden agreed.

"Any luck with the investigation?" Keith asked.

"Yes. Despite the indoors CCTV system having been cut, the thieves didn't notice the outdoors camera around the back," Hayden replied.

"You got them on film?!" Keith asked excitedly. Hayden laughed as he opened up his laptop.

"And they said I was stupid for wanting an Oddish painted around it; one of its eyes is the camera!"

"Nice one, Dad!" Keenan praised. Hayden turned the laptop around, allowing Keith, Alexa and Keenan to see the video waiting to be played.

"Here, see if these are the guys you bumped into in the preserve.

Alexa pressed the play button on the footage and it began to play. The first part of the footage showed a black 4x4 with three familiar occupants pulling up to the back entrance of the mall. Two of them went indoors and came out with the same crate Keith and Alexa had fished out of the lake. The crate was tossed into the back of the 4x4 and the two thieves hopped into the vehicle before it drove off.

"That's them, no doubt!" Keith exclaimed.

"That makes our conclusion right after all," Alexa added.

"Seems that way, love," Hayden agreed as he closed down his laptop.

"Were you three okay in there? Uh, a-apart from-"

"Don't worry about it, Mum. We were fine apart from that, but Keith and I are exhausted," Alexa replied, Keith nodding in agreement.

"Can't say I blame you; lots of Pokémon live there. Even with this epidemic going on," Hayden said.

"And we calmed every single one we saw," Keith sighed.

"Which could mean that there might be some left agitated, but I think the general vibe from the others will calm them down." Hayden smiled at his daughter.

"Well done, both of you," he praised.

"Were you all right, Keenan?" Lily asked.

"I was on Darcy the whole time, I was fine," Keenan nodded.

"That's my boy," Hayden smiled.

"Why don't you relax in your rooms? I'll call the Union about the damaged uniform and bring you some drinks," Lily suggested.

"Thanks, Lily," Keith said gratefully.

"Thanks, Mum," Alexa and Keenan thanked together. The three then proceeded upstairs. Lily sat down as soon as they left the room, holding her head in one hand.

"Are you worried, Lily?" Hayden asked. Lily looked at him.

"About..?"

"What the kids are up against," Hayden answered.

"I'm more worried about their morale," Lily admitted. "I couldn't help but pick up a sense of doubt from all three of them."

"Maybe you should bring that up while you're calling about Alexa's uniform. Or lack thereof," Hayden suggested.

"I plan to, sweetheart," Lily sighed.

_To be continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – The Poach Ball**

A Delibird flew over the shining blue ocean in the evening sky, wings flapping wildly and straining to bear the intense weight of the large wooden crate cruelly tied to his ankles. Delibird was sweating and grunting with effort as he flew at such a gradual speed. He was getting tired, but he persevered; he had a parcel to deliver.

Delibird hovered down to a small beach against a tall cliff side, being careful to avoid the poorly moored speedboat nearby. With the box safely on the sand, Delibird could finally stop flying and he panted heavily. Using his beak, he pulled out an A4 sized clipboard from his sack and held it to the approaching Jordan, who, using the pen tied to the clipboard, signed an X at the bottom of the form. Using his dagger, Jordan then freed Delibird from his delivery. Delibird, with some of his breath back, replaced the clipboard back into his sack – after giving the underlying yellow copy of the form to his client, gave Jordan a little salute and flew away, wings now flapping at a more reasonable speed, as he no longer had to carry such a massive package. Jordan then proceeded to use his dagger as a makeshift crowbar and forced the lid of the box to open. Jordan momentarily placed the receipt inside the box and picked up one of the many identical compressed Poké Balls from inside. The Poké Ball itself looked unusual compared to the standard ones; the top half was dark grey and the bottom half was light grey, with a white band around the middle and has a diamond shape in the middle as opposed to the traditional round shape. There were also thin mid-grey bumps stretching across both the top and bottom of the Poké Ball, as if to resemble cage bars. While Jordan examined his delivery closely, Andy approached the box and took out the receipt.

"Thank you for your purchase at SnagEm Co," he read aloud. "We hope your thieving needs will be met with this product."

"Only one way to know for sure; test it out," Jordan said casually, tossing the new Poké Ball into his other hand.

"What on?" Gabby asked. Andy's eyes widened as he read the product description on the receipt.

"Hey, this thing can catch other trainer's Pokémon!" he said, with an amused grin on his face.

"Hmmm...now I hope those kids find us again," Jordan muttered. Gabby raised an eyebrow.

"But you're not interested in stealing other trainer's Pokémon?" she questioned. Andy was also puzzled.

"Yeah, you said it'd make you look like Team Rocket!"

"I did, yes," Jordan nodded. "Bunch of mafia-wannabes..." he grumbled. "No, I just want them around to see if that special feature is true."

"Why?" Jordan sighed heavily.

"Work it out, Gabby, use that lumpy thing inside your skull." Gabby pouted at the disguised insult.

Keith sat semi-cross legged on Alexa's bed. Taking advantage of her absence, he studied her bedroom more carefully. Aside from the clothes Lily purchased for him being somewhat scattered across one square foot of the room, the room itself was kept tidy. He looked out to the balcony door, and spotted Chaser, Xavier and Ryder having a conversation. He couldn't hear a word that was said, as the door to the balcony was closed. But, from what he could tell, Keith assumed Chaser was filling Xavier and Ryder in on what happened in the Safari Zone. Keith moved his eyes away from the balcony and ended up noticing a photo frame sitting on the bedside cabinet on Alexa's side of the bed. He shuffled over to it and picked it up. He smiled upon looking at the photo inside the frame; the photo was taken at what Keith recognised to be the Lookout Ridge in Almia, and he was holding Alexa's waist with one hand while holding the camera in another. Both were smiling happily. Keith, in the photo, was in uniform, while Alexa wore her tunic and headband from Ollie and Elaine's wedding.

Alexa quietly returned to the room, clad in her nightgown and a baby blue cotton dressing gown, and with a white towel wrapped around her hair. She spotted Keith looking at the photograph and smiled.

"I remember that afternoon well," she began, attracting Keith's attention. "After the post-wedding celebrations, we spent most of the afternoon on Lookout Ridge where that photo was taken."

"Then we went to the beach until sunset, I remember," Keith continued as he returned the frame to where he found it. He rolled on the bed to face Alexa and looked at her, looking mildly annoyed. "I almost stepped on a Krabby but stepped in the hole it came out of." Alexa laughed as she approached her bed. She and Keith sat next to one another and their eyes met. Their warm smiles faded as the events in the Safari Zone were fresh on their mind; Keith knew Alexa had a shower because, despite Iara's improvised shower, she was polluted with Victreebel saliva, stomach acid and who knows what else. Alexa, on the other hand, knew that what happened to her worried and angered him.

"I thought I was going to lose you, Alexa."

"I can't say I wasn't scared, Keith."

A few light knocks at Alexa's door caught their attention as Lily entered the room with a small tray in her hands, upon which were two steaming mugs, one brown in colour, the other cream in colour.

"Hey. Here, I made you some cocoa," she said politely, handing the mugs to Keith and Alexa respectively. Still with the tray in her arms, she crouched in front of the two exhausted teenagers. "How are you both feeling?"

"Clean at least," Alexa sighed before taking a light sip from her mug.

"I think we're in way over our heads," Keith said half-heartedly. Alexa lowered her mug as Keith raised his to his lips.

"We don't even know who these poachers are, yet they really don't want us in their way," Alexa continued. Keith sighed a contented sigh as he lowered his mug onto his lap.

"I just wish they'd face us ourselves," he concluded.

"Sounds like they're not taking you seriously because of how old you two are," Lily suggested. "Maybe they will once you've asserted your authority." Keith gave off a sarcastic laugh.

"Yeah, that worked really well the first time," he complained, recalling the ridicule he received when he first attempted to assert his authority.

"I guess we need to prove to them that we actually are a threat to them," Alexa assumed. "Maybe if I bring more than one Pokémon with me tomorrow, that might be a good start." Lily nodded.

"That's a good idea." She lost the smile she had for a few seconds. "But there's something I want to ask of you both."

"What is it, Lily?" Keith asked politely.

"Let the professor know if you need a break," Lily requested.

"Has he said anything to you?" Alexa asked.

"No, sweetie, I just think you should let him know if things get too much for the both of you," Lily said earnestly.

"Why're you telling us this?" Keith asked in confusion.

"Hayden and I are worried, especially after today's events. If the professor has a problem with you taking a break, Hayden says he'll 'do his thing'," Lily explained.

"Thanks, Mum," Alexa smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, thanks," Keith thanked, despite not understanding what 'do his thing' meant. Lily stood up properly.

"You can just leave the mugs here when you're done, I'll pick them up in the morning," she smiled. "Just take it easy tonight."

"Thank you," Keith said kindly.

"Good night," Lily smiled as she carefully left the room. Keith faced Alexa, eyebrow raised.

"What the heck does 'do his thing' mean?"

"Dad will basically talk with the professor and debate with him until he wins," Alexa explained, with a smile dominating her face

"I doubt he'll be so willing to let us have a break," Keith sighed. "He seems persistent."

"So's my father," Alexa winked.

With the morning greeting the Johto region, an Aggron carefully dipped its tail into the ocean from the edge of a wooden pier next to a harbour filled with moored ferries of all sizes. A weak electrical current flowed down the tail from Aggron's spine and into the ocean, causing an electric shock to spread across the immediate vicinity of the harbour. Jordan, Andy and Gabby watched as lumps of blue and red begin to surface, giving off static electricity. Jordan smirked. A Chatot with what appeared to be a Poké Ball in its talons flew overhead.

The Chatot flew into one of the houses in Violet City, where Lily had just finished clearing up after breakfast. Alexa and Keith sat on the three-seat sofa, just enjoying each others' company. Robbie lay at Keith's feet, with Reese enjoying his break on one of the two armchairs. Hayden sat at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee next to him, reading the morning newspaper. Keenan and Iara sat at the remaining armchair, relaxing. Ryder lay flat on the floor for no reason. Xavier, under his human guise, had a bowl of cereal in one hand and was leaning against a wall, eating the contents with a metal spoon. While Keenan wore his usual red attire, Keith and Alexa were both in casual clothes; Keith wore a blue vest with dark grey jeans and black trainers, while Alexa wore a purple hooded sweatshirt and black leggings with white trainers. Keith wore his styler on his right arm, but Alexa was without her styler. The Chatot, whose beak was yellow instead of pink, flew over to Alexa and sat on her lap after dropping the Lure Ball from his talons.

"Hi, Skywing. I didn't call you here?" Alexa said in confusion.

"No, no, Ronan and I wished to speak to you in person," the Chatot explained. His voice was refined and clear, as if his tongue was of noble birth. Ryder lifted his head up from the floor.

"Lionel again?"

"Indeed, Ryder," Skywing nodded. "Alexa, my dear, we cannot tolerate that Turtwig's juvenile shenanigans any further," he complained.

"I'll find a tutor for him," Alexa sighed. "But if that doesn't sort him out, I'll have to take matters into my own hands." Skywing's eyes seemed to have lit up as Alexa spoke.

"Very much appreciated, Alexa, very much so," he said with gratitude. "Incidentally, I saw an unusual occurrence while I was flying over Olivine City," he said, quickly changing the topic. The shirtless figure approached the colourful parrot Pokémon with his bowl in his hand and a spoon in his mouth. Xavier took the spoon out of his mouth before he spoke.

"Well, don't leave us hangin', what did you see?" he asked.

"Keep your currently hidden fur on, Xavier! I saw the ocean around the harbour completely flooded with Tentacool and Tentacruel."

"That IS unusual," Alexa agreed. "Especially given that you only find Tentacool near the surface by the beach..."

"There were three humans on one of the piers," Skywing added. "And an Aggron, from the looks of it. They were just...standing there for no reason."

"Sounds like something we should investigate," Keith said firmly.

"And quick; the SS. Aqua can't said with those Pokémon in the way," Keenan added.

"Or any other ship for that matter, regardless of the size," Alexa agreed as she shot up quickly, catching the little bird off guard. Ryder lay back down.

"Ryder, why're you on the floor anyway?" Keith asked.

"Conserving energy. Plus I enjoy it," Ryder smiled.

"I thought you were doing that for no reason," Keith sighed.

"I'm sure everyone else did too," Ryder winked. "Alex! Poké Ball please!"

"I was going to put you inside it anyway," Alexa said plainly as she recalled her Lucario back into his Poké Ball. She picked up the Lure Ball and pocketed it along with Ryder's Poké Ball. She, Keith and Keenan began running to the front door. Xavier, after placing his empty cereal bowl in the sink, filled with fresh and steaming washing up water, and Skywing gave chase.

"We'll be back as soon as we can!" Alexa exclaimed before they left the house. She closed the door once Robbie was out of the house. Buizel sighed contentedly, but Lily looked worried.

"Still worried?" Hayden asked.

"I can't help that something bad's going to happen..."

"Snap," Hayden admitted.

Alexa, Keith, Keenan and Xavier ran speedily to the pier Jordan, Gabby and Andy stood on casually. The ocean behind the poachers was literally swamped with blue and red lumps, big and small. Skywing landed on Alexa's shoulder as she, with the boys, confronted the poachers. Keith vented his frustration.

"Okay, I want answers now!" he shouted demandingly. "Why are you doing all of this!?"

"Nice to see you too, Spiky," Andy greeted with a sarcastic smile.

"Aw, and he has his treat right next to him! Excuse me while I vomit," Gabby said spitefully. Keenan tilted his head in confusion while Skywing took off from Alexa's shoulder and hovered in front of her.

"Do NOT speak of my trainer in such an unholy manner!" he squawked furiously. Gabby and Andy were taken slightly aback at the talking bird, but Jordan merely raised an interested eyebrow.

"...who ARE you people?!" Alexa questioned. Jordan nodded.

"Oh, yes, it's high time we were on familiar terms," he agreed. "The name's Jordan." Andy pointed at himself with a thumb.

"Anthony. But for the love of Arceus call me Andy," he sighed.

"Gabby~!" Gabby sang.

"Charmed I'm sure," Skywing retorted meanly. "Why are you just standing there? Aren't you afraid the Tentacruel might attack you?"

"And the Tentacool?" Xavier added. Xavier hadn't disguised his voice in the slightest, yet the three poachers had no clue as to his identity.

"They might, but we're not afraid of that," Jordan answered, hinting the bulky Aggron standing behind him.

"I'll bet you're responsible for them blocking the harbour!" Keenan exclaimed accusingly. Jordan chuckled.

"Very good."

Electricity coursed through the ocean once again. This time, the jellyfish Pokémon groaned and gurgled as they each flailed a pair of tentacles in the air. The ones nearest the pier slammed their tentacles down, attempting to attack anyone who stood on it, while the rest attacked the moored ferries. Keith, Alexa, Keenan and Xavier backed off of the pier for safety, but Skywing couldn't help but feel utterly flummoxed as to how Jordan, Andy and Gabby could tolerate the blind onslaught.

"What WAS that?!" Keenan exclaimed.

"Looked like Thunder Wave," Alexa replied. "But...the Pokémon are already paralysed..." Keith looked at Alexa, wide eyed.

"ALL of them?!"

"Y-yeah," Alexa replied quietly. Keenan faced the poachers furiously.

"Why would you do this?!" he shouted interrogatively.

"Because I knew you'd come," Jordan replied. "Now then, Keenan, Alexa, let's see your Pokémon handle ours and the jellyfish Pokémon." Frustrated, the siblings each took out two Poké Balls from the packs buckled around their waists.

"There's no way we're going to battle you!" Keenan yelled. "But that doesn't mean we won't try to fight off the Pokémon you agitated!"

"And paralysed needlessly!" Alexa added. Pressing the central buttons on their Poké Balls. From Alexa's Poké Balls came the fluffy Lucario, Ryder, and Ronan the Golduck. Iara stood next to the newly summoned Hitmontop, Mason, and Lucius, the Ampharos with the lilac scarf around his neck. Jordan's Skarmory descended towards the pier.

"Tough talk from such small fries. Skarmory, strike!" Skarmory flew into action, but his movements were halted before they could even commence, as the steel bird was struck by a large gust of hot air, courtesy of Skywing, whose wings shone in a burning orange glow as he flapped his wings.

"Back, you ruffian!" he insisted firmly. "You'll not attack any human being on my watch!"

"Skywing, I highly doubt they care about that," Xavier sighed. Skywing inadvertently turned his attention away from Jordan to face his past apprentice. Jordan took out one of his new Poké Balls from his pocket. "They attacked Alex and the others more than once."

"Is that so?" Skywing faced Jordan again. "Well I-"

The Poké Ball tapped Skywing's head and, to everyone's horror – emphatically Alexa's – captured the Music Note Pokémon in an eerie dark grey light. The Poké Ball bounced back into Jordan's hands and the button shone red briefly. Alexa couldn't believe what she had witnessed, and began to quiver slightly. Jordan glanced down at his new catch.

"Huh."

"Wow, that feature really works!" Andy smiled.

"L-LET HIM GO!" Alexa shrieked.

"Should we?" Gabby asked Jordan. Xavier assumed she was mocking Alexa, but she was genuinely curious.

"Hmm...keeping it is bloody tempting," Jordan confessed as he examined the foreign Poké Ball closely. "I mean, a Chatot that can fluently speak English? Could be valuable." Xavier fought intensely hard to conceal his anger, but faint flickers of dark aura began to emanate from his body as he glared at Jordan.

"Chatots can do that anyway, you piece of Muk!" he roared. Jordan nodded.

"Indeed so," he agreed. "But it will still make for a good hostage." Those words spoken, it was Ryder's turn to conceal his anger, his aura threatening to engulf his entire being.

"You'll EAT those words!" he barked furiously.

"And I hope you choke on 'em and puke!" Xavier added. Keith couldn't hold back any longer.

"I've had enough!" He ran straight towards the three poachers, but was oblivious to a tentacle approaching his ankle. It grabbed his ankle, causing him to fall flat onto the pier. Frantic, Alexa ran to his aid, but, as soon as she stepped onto the wooden pier, the tentacle returned to the ocean, dragging Keith with it. Alexa was too late.

"KEITH!"

"Iara, help him!" Keenan panicked.

"You too, Ronan! Please!" Alexa begged desperately. The aquatic Pokémon complied loyally as they dived into the ocean, in hopes of rescuing the submerged Ranger. Ryder spotted another tentacle headed for Alexa's ankle and pulled her back off of the pier moments before it made Alexa meet the same fate as Keith. Xavier held onto Alexa, both completely rattled at both Keith's 'abduction' and Skywing's capture. Gabby enjoyed Alexa's torment.

"N-no Poké Ball I know can capture Pokémon belonging to another trainer! What IS that?!" Alexa cried.

"Since it successfully captured your Chatot...it's my new poaching tool; the Poach Ball."

Keith struggled hopelessly to free himself from the tentacles that bound him. That while holding his breath and enduring the pain of being squeezed tightly as Tentacruel pulled him closer was proving to be a challenge. There was a small hole on Keith's sleeve, which revealed a needle-sized hole in his arm, which appeared to be infected. Iara and Ronan swam hastily to the Tentacruel. Iara smacked its blue head with her tail, but Ronan decided to slash the black body vigorously. Their efforts were for naught; Tentacruel was adamant and refused to release his prey.

The Tentacool and Tentacruel began to dive back into the ocean, which confused Keenan, Alexa and the Pokémon.

"Where're they going?" Keenan asked.

"Maybe to help the one that took Spiky under," Andy suggested, almost tauntingly.

"No...Keith..!"

"He's as good as dead; once Tentacruel grab their prey, they don't let go," Jordan said truthfully. "Ever."

"...n-no..." Alexa felt her knees trembling as they gave way. Xavier's grip on her was the only thing that kept her off of the concrete floor. Robbie's eyes were tearing up, heartbroken at the prospect of his new friend and partner meeting an untimely demise. His exterior hardened as he looked towards the pier. He spotted a small puddle near where Keith was when he was dragged into the ocean, and a lightbulb lit inside the Deerling's head. He ran onto the pier and stood on the puddle, making sure all four hooves were on the water as his tuft illuminated in a light blue glow. A rapid barrage of bubbles spewed forth from the tuft and struck Jordan's chest. The Poach Ball fell from his hand and opened on impact with the ground, consequently releasing the evidentially shaken up Chatot. Alexa and Xavier ran towards him, Alexa scooping him up in her arms and holding him tightly, taking care to not suffocate him. Ryder approached the cuddle.

"Skywing, are you hurt?" he asked worriedly.

"T-that contraption...n-never again..!" Alexa felt Skywing shivering in her arms.

"Was it that bad?" Xavier wondered.

"I-It felt as though I was in absolute loss of consciousness," Skywing trembled. "I-I couldn't move, I couldn't see, there was silence everywhere, I couldn't speak...it was terrifying..!"

"Sounds like it works better than you thought, Jordan," Gabby smirked. Andy's attention was fixated on the very Deerling that caused temporary damage to one of his hands.

"Stupid Deerling! You've been a pain in the ass ever since we captured you!" he yelled furiously.

"Kill it, Aggron!" Jordan instructed demandingly.

Keith continued to struggle for his freedom while Iara and Ronan were now forced to fight off the other Tentacool and Tentacruel that got in their way as well as the Tentacruel wanting to make a meal out of Keith. Time quickly ran short; Keith could no longer hold his breath and opened his mouth, releasing what little air he could no longer contain. His lungs cried out for air, but all they received was sea water. Keith's consciousness escaped him gradually, his last thoughts being about Alexa as the world went dark for the boy. Iara witnessed Keith losing all consciousness and attacked Tentacruel desperately. Ronan became frustrated; it was because the other Tentacool and Tentacruel that he and Iara failed to rescue Keith. He held two claws to the bright red gem on his head and concentrated. The gem shone and released large pink waves of telekinetic energy, as if from Ronan's entire head. Iara veiled herself in a small green bubble, which protected her from the waves.

Aggron was three feet away from slamming his thick arm down on Robbie's head when he noticed the ocean was flashing pink. Soon enough, the poachers, Alexa, Keenan and the remaining Pokémon spotted the flashing. Alexa wasn't sure if she should be happy or concerned at the sight.

"T-that's Ronan's Psychic attack," she said shakily. Keenan worried about Keith even more than he cared about the current situation.

Aggron fell to the wooden floor with a thud and a creak; the pier threatened to give way to the immense weight of the rugged Steel type Pokémon. Ryder stood tall, with a paw held in front of him. Jordan was vexed; he didn't even see Aggron getting attacked.

"You're not the only one who can play dirty!" Ryder snarled.

Ronan and Iara surfaced abruptly, carrying the unconscious Keith between them. Ryder and Robbie ran away from the pier to meet the two Water types. Ryder and Xavier combined their efforts to lift Keith out of the water and lay him flat on the ground, where Xavier immediately commenced chest compressions. Alexa watched anxiously as tears threatened to leave her eyes. She hoped and prayed that he was still alive. Keenan noticed Iara and Ronan having climbed out of the ocean and faced his timid Ampharos.

"Now's your chance, Lucius!" he exclaimed. Lucius nodded and dipped his tail into the ocean. His body gave off electricity, which flowed down his tail and into the ocean. Whatever electric attack Lucius used, it was far stronger than Thunder Wave; after the attack ended, the Tentacool and Tentacruel floated up to the surface, singed. Those that survived the attack hastily made their way away from the pier. The defeated ones merely sank into the depths of the sea.

Keenan stopped paying attention to the poachers; he hadn't seen Jordan recalling his fainted Pokémon and reclaiming his Poach Ball, nor had he seen all three of them escaping in the speedboat that was moored nearby the whole time. He had heard a speedboat leaving the harbour, but didn't care; his main focus was on the still unconscious Keith. Xavier occasionally stopped his chest compressions to listen to Keith's chest, to see if he was breathing before resuming the compressions. Skywing was worried, even though he didn't understand what had happened.

"Come on, Keith, come on..!" Xavier growled. "Work with me..!"

"Don't die...please...please don't die..!" Alexa begged tearfully.

Keith moved sharply, catching everyone by surprise. He moved to one side and coughed out the sea water he had taken in earlier. A smile grew on Alexa's face while everyone else was relieved.

"Oh, Keith..! I thought we'd never see you again!" Alexa cried happily. Keith rolled back onto his back and breathed deeply. Skywing grew concerned as he noticed how red Keith looked. Keenan noticed the infected spot on his arm.

"A-Alex..? H-he's poisoned..!" he said quietly. Alexa nodded, having noticed the infection herself.

"The Pokémon Centre here carries anti-venom. Thank Arceus it's a stone's throw away. Come on!"

Skywing flew away from Alexa, allowing her to grab Keith's arm. She placed it around her shoulders and lifted him up with every ounce of strength she had; she hadn't held Keith over her shoulders before, and the fact his clothes were soaking wet and weighing him down didn't help matters. Xavier helped to carry Keith to the Pokémon Centre. Keenan and the Pokémon followed.

Andy drove the speedboat further out to sea. He and Gabby were highly agitated over Keith's retrieval.

"For goodness' sake, that boy's got more lives than my Liepard!" Gabby moaned.

"Now I hate that little kid as much as I hate that Deerling!" Andy said spitefully.

"And I hate that blonde tart!" Gabby screeched.

"Shut up, both of you," Jordan sighed as he lit the fresh cigarette that was close to falling from his lips. "The Poach Ball works, that's all I care about at this point."

"Poach Ball?" Gabby laughed. "From what Chatot said, it's more like a Bondage Ball." Andy quickly shut off the engine and faced Gabby, wide-eyed.

"Eh?!" Jordan raised an eyebrow at Gabby.

"I seriously have to question where you get these ideas, Gabby," he said calmly. Andy was freaked out.

"Yeah, people are gonna start questioning that..." Jordan breathed out some cigarette smoke from his mouth.

"Did either of you two notice how the Poach Ball didn't affect Chatot's behaviour?" he asked rhetorically. "It's designed to simply capture the Pokémon without befriending them."

"As if poaching is a good way to make friends," Gabby laughed. Andy became impatient.

"That reminds me, are we actually going to do something about those damn kids?!" he asked. Jordan took another puff from his cigarette and faced Andy calmly.

"In time."

"Oh for Muks sake! Just kidnap all three of them, tie 'em up and stash 'em in the basement and be done with it!" Andy stressed.

"NOW who sounds like the one with the bondage fetish?" Gabby teased. Andy paid no attention to her, waiting for Jordan's reply.

"There's no challenge in that, Andy. Besides..." A slightly bigger smile grew on the lead poacher's face. "My best fighter is yet to shine."

Keenan sat in the lobby of the Pokémon Centre with Iara, Robbie, Skywing, Ryder and Xavier. All of them looked content and relieved.

Keith and Alexa, meanwhile, sat in an examination room within the Pokémon Centre. Keith looked as embarrassed as he felt, as he was only in his boxer shorts, and his soaked clothes were nowhere to be seen. Alexa sat next to her mildly damp partner with her hand on his.

"Listen, I'm just happy to see you're alive," she said sweetly. "How do you feel?"

"Sick," Keith replied bluntly. His face was mostly red from an impending fever and his voice didn't reflect his optimum health.

"M-maybe you should take the next few days off? To recover," Alexa suggested. Keith finally faced her.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I'll be fine on my own for now. But there's no way you can work with a cold on its way," Alexa smiled.

"I-I guess..." Keith wasn't overly enthusiastic about the idea. "Just promise me you'll be okay."

"I promise," Alexa replied. A reassured smile grew on Keith's face. Alexa moved closer to him, showing little to no care about the dampness. The two faced one another and closed their eyes softly as their noses touched lightly.

_To be continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Challenge**

The darkness of the night was accompanied by a cold breeze that blew through the air. The flock of Farfetch'd that slept underneath a large tree in the ominous forest shivered from time to time, their feathers and each others' company proving insufficient for warmth against the wind. The frosty grass beneath them didn't contribute to their warmth. Andy pulled the Jeep over quietly towards the flock. Gabby rubbed her forearms vigorously, feeling the full bitterness of the cold air.

"Gabs, you should've brought a coat," Andy sighed, subtly tugging at the collar of his black fleece. "You know your figure – or lack thereof – can't handle the cold."

"Sh-shut up, Andy," Gabby shivered spitefully. Jordan stood up in the back of the Jeep, holding a bulging sack in one hand. He, too, was prepared for the cold, wearing a fleece almost exactly like Andy's.

"You'll wake 'em up if you get any louder," he said quietly. "Stay still, both of you." Jordan, using his free hand, lifted the bulge to his shoulder. Grabbing the bottom of the sack, he threw it across him, the flood of Poach Balls flying over Andy and Gabby's heads.

"Are you sure about this?" Alexa questioned. She stood near the staircase, watching her parents getting ready to leave the house. Both Lily and Hayden wore warm-looking jackets, and Keenan was putting his on, but was struggling with the zip; it snagged his coat again. Lily helped her son in fixing the zipper.

"Keith's going to be fine, honey," she said reassuringly as she looked at her daughter.

"Yeah, I know, but are you sure about going out?" Alexa asked again.

"It's only Goldenrod, Lexie," Hayden chuckled. "Besides, we can look after ourselves if needs be," he added, flashing one of his Poké Balls from his coat pocket.

"That reminds me, I think Keith's medication should be ready for collection by now," Alexa mumbled in thought.

"Cherrygrove Pharmacy's very efficient," Lily smiled.

"But I don't want Keith on his own while I'm out, so I asked Xavier to look after him while I'm getting the medication."

"He'll be fine, sweetie," Hayden said optimistically.

"He has Robbie and Reese to keep him company as well," Keenan added.

"Yeah, I guess so," Alexa said nervously.

"Honey, it's cold outside; are you sure you'll be all right dressed like that?" Lily asked with concern, hinting Alexa's unusual attire. She wore a simple red T-shirt with a black symbol of a small fire on her left hand side, blue ¾ length leggings and grey pumps over her lime-green socks. The most weird part of her attire was the purple ribbon tied around her hair in a large bow. If anything, her attire made her look out of character.

"It'll probably warm up by the time I go out," Alexa shrugged. Hayden shook his head, but kept his smile.

"I swear, Lexie, if Keith doesn't pass his cold onto you, the temperature will give one to you," he laughed. "Well, I've got my mobile, give me a shout if you need anything."

"I will," Alexa complied. "Take care."

"We will," Hayden smiled as he approached Alexa. He planted a light kiss on her head and ruffled her hair a little before following Lily and Keenan out of the house. As the sound of a key turning in a lock could be heard, Alexa returned up the stairs.

When Alexa returned to her bedroom, she saw the very feverish Keith lying in her bed, as he should be. Reese was looking through one of Alexa's old Pokémon magazines, despite not understanding a single word of its contents. Robbie lay on the floor, looking extremely grim. Skywing was perched on the very top of Alexa's mirror attached to her desk, resting his eyes. Alexa sat next to Keith and smiled at him.

"Hey. Feeling better?"

"Not yet," Keith replied. His voice was slightly different; he indeed sounded as though he had a cold, his sinuses almost completely blocked off and his chest feeling a little tighter than usual. "Kitten, are you sure you want to be around me? A cold's contagious, y'know."

"I'll take the risk," Alexa said sweetly, gently running her finger up and down Keith's cheek. "Listen, Mim and Dad left for Goldenrod with Keenan, we we'll be on our own for the day."

"Right..." Keith didn't sound too interested in that fact; he would've been more interested if he wasn't stuck in bed, like an ill patient at the hospital.

"I'll only be out while I'm picking up your prescription," Alexa added, sounding a little worried. "I'll be here the-"

"Don't fuss. I'll be fine," Keith said, trying to sound cheerful. Alexa looked away from Keith as she moved her hand away from his face, feeling awkward. Keith frowned slightly. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I know how much it sucks to be in bed all day. I've been there myself," Alexa said quietly. Keith put a hand over his eyes and sighed.

"Oh, right...I forgot about that..." He lowered his hand and tried to get a better look at Alexa, who kept her glance away from Keith. "Look, I'm sorry if I said something wrong, it's just-"

"No, honestly, it's fine," Alexa said, smiling at Keith. Skywing opened one eye and secretly watched the conversation, partly with concern. "I guess I'm still a little upset about yesterday," she said, losing her smile. "I mean, you could've died. I don't know what I would've done if you had..."

"You'd continue this investigation for the both of us," Keith said, laying his hand on top of hers. "I know you. You wouldn't give up just because I'm not there. Like before." Alexa lowered her head and, again, averted her eyes from Keith.

"But last time, you were only injured," she said quietly.

"Alexa, I was lucky to even be alive after that. Don't tell me you didn't think I was dead at that point..." Alexa's frown grew as she fought back tears; the memories of having seen her best friend being catapulted off of such a tall tower played in her mind, the images still as vivid as ever. And her behaviour afterwards left a lot to be desired. Keith's heart sank; he didn't mean to upset Alexa more than she was already. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No...y-you're right. Part of me thought you couldn't have survived the fall...part of me didn't want to believe that, though..." She shook her head rapidly, shaking away her negative feelings in the process. She smiled sweetly at Keith again. "No sense in dwelling about that, though, the important thing is you're alive." Keith didn't understand Alexa's sudden change of mood, but smiled all the same.

"I don't go down that easily. Yesterday proved that all over again." Alexa had a sudden spark of realisation.

"Oh, I'll be stopping by the Poké Mart real quick after I've been to the pharmacy!" she said quickly. "Maybe I can find something more natural to help you through the illness." Keith merely laughed.

"You don't need to fuss, I'll be all right," he said kindly.

"Yeah, I know. I just want you to feel better," Alexa replied.

"And quickly, I take it?" Keith teased.

"Nature will take its course, but I can at least make it take its course a little quicker, yeah," Alexa laughed. She took the Lure Ball from the bedside cabinet closest to her and placed it into her pocket, being careful not to accidentally release Ronan in the process. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she added as she moved closer to Keith. She pecked a kiss on his cheek before shuffling off of her bed.

"Take your time," he said nicely. Skywing flew off of the mirror and followed Alexa out of the bedroom.

Keith tried to breathe deeply, but his blocked sinuses prevented such an act. He coughed, politely holding a fist over his mouth. Robbie stood up and walked over to the bed. He released a wondrous scent from the tuft on his forehead, which spread all across the room. Keith relaxed as he took comfort in the pleasant aroma, but couldn't help noticing how lifeless Robbie seemed to be; his ears were folded down and he avoided eye contact with everyone, yet Keith recognised the look of depression on his face. Keith grew concerned.

Alexa locked the front door of the house with a single key, which she returned to its original place; inside a little combination safe fastened to the wall near the doorbell. Resetting the combination, Alexa walked away from the house. Skywing followed her as she walked out of the city.

Jordan released at least a dozen Farfetch'd into a single cage. The fatigued Farfetch'd panicked as they came to terms with their predicament, surveying what little they could of the entire area, which was still mostly covered in shadow, scaring them even more. The faint sound of a chainsaw could be heard above the panicky cries of the Pokémon. Andy moaned.

"Remind me, why did we bother with these things?" he asked.

"I hear Farfetch'd make for quite the gourmet meal," Jordan replied simply. "As such, that makes them worth a lot of money for just one bird. And that's per pound." Andy smiked.

"Heh, nice. Never liked it myself, though, I'd sooner have a burger."

"Hmm, I'm more of a steak kind of guy, to be honest," Jordan said casually. "I don't see the appeal behind Farfetch'd."

"Me neither, but if you say they'll bring in the money, I'll go with it," Andy shrugged.

"Y'know what, though, those Poach Balls made things a whole lot easier. Don't need to bring so many cages with us here, there and everywhere. They're not very mobile," Jordan said.

"And it makes us less conspicuous," Andy stated.

"Exactly. Yet before the Poach Balls, the police haven't been able to do anything about us. Go figure," Jordan mused, putting a finger under his lips.

"I hear the police around here can't be relied on for jack," Andy said nastily. "JPD's Chief apparently doesn't like Pokémon."

"Then he's running the wrong police department then," Jordan huffed. "I've heard the OPD is seriously lacking in manpower..."

Gabby made her way down to the basement and approached Jordan and Andy. She wore a heavily bloodied apron, which was supposed to have been white once upon a time, but her regular attire and even some of her skin had splatters of blood here and there. The two men noticed her in an instant.

"Gabs. Is it done?" Jordan asked.

"What, the refuel or the other thing?" she asked.

"The latter," Jordan replied. Gabby nodded.

"I still don't get why you wanted that from the Stantler, but, yeah, it's done. Just needs to go on a shield," she explained.

"Another trophy, Jordan?" Andy questioned with a teasing smirk. Jordan shrugged.

"Why not? It'll go well with the Sawsbuck trophy Gabby helped to make last year," he said casually. Andy looked at Gabby.

"So, Gabs, did you have fun on this one, too?" he asked. Gabby gave the two men a grin. A very sinister grin, one traditionally worn by sadistic serial killers or those obsessed with death.

"Like you wouldn't believe," she replied, whispering in an almost seductive tone.

Skywing flew next to Alexa and looked at her. The cold air didn't seem to affect her too much, but Skywing knew it was getting to her. But that wasn't on the Chatot's mind right now.

"Alexa, my dear, are you certain you're all right?" he asked.

"Yesterday just shook me up, that's all," she answered. "Anyway, I spoke to my uncle about Lionel; he's going to be with his dad for a while," she added.

"Ah, excellent; Thomas is indeed strict." Skywing sighed as he lost his smile. "If only Lupin had a Pokémon to teach him respect..."

"What's he done now?" Alexa asked in a sigh.

"He's just being his usual snappy self," Skywing replied.

"He never was snappy before," Alexa said quietly.

"I know the story, Alexa. We all do," Skywing stated gently.

"And the young ones?" Skywing shook his head.

"Only if they ask, and even then they'll be told a more child friendly version of Lydia's passing," he explained. "Otherwise, none of the young ones know as of yet. Phoenix plans to inform them as soon as they reach an appropriate age,"

"Thanks."

"Absolutely," Skywing smiled. "We're a tight community, Alexa, we look out for one another. Even if Lupin says otherwise, you really do know how to raise Pokémon." Alexa felt disheartened, and Skywing noticed her speed decreasing.

"Yeah...Lupin would say otherwise..."

"Perhaps if he spends time with you, he'll learn to accept the truth. He IS in denial, after all," Skywing suggested. Alexa took a moment to consider Skywing's suggestion; he did bring up a good point about Lupin being in denial. Lydia WAS his best friend, after all, and he was in denial about her death being an accident. He wanted someone to blame, and, for a good seven years, that was his own Trainer. And with good reason; as Lydia's Trainer, Alexa had a duty of care over her, but failed to notice her during the battle that caused her death. Alexa shook her head, thinking too deeply into the situation.

"Y-yeah...can you bring him here please?" Alexa finally asked. Skywing nodded.

"Of course. I'll be back in a flash!" he raced into the sky, on his way to collect Lupin. Alexa took a deep breath, as if she immediately regretted her decision. Nevertheless, she continued her way towards Cherrygrove City; after all, she had a prescription to collect.

Jordan threw another bulging sack into the back of the Jeep. Andy and Gabby stood behind him as he threw a second sack into the Jeep. Gabby wore a caramel-coloured fleece jacket with a furry collar to keep herself warm. Jordan faced his two colleagues.

"So much more convenient, not having to carry the cages around," he said.

"And it'll avoid suspicion," Andy added.

"Like we established earlier, yes," Jordan nodded.

"So, where're we headed this time?" Gabby asked.

"Just scouting this time. The Poach Balls are for in case we find must have snags," Jordan explained. Andy almost looked disappointed.

"So we're not gonna take out the kids?"

"One's down; there's no challenge in kicking a man while he's down," Jordan stated.

"And what makes you think he's even alive?" Gabby asked rudely.

"He was pulled out of the ocean; that alone should conjure that assumption," Jordan answered.

"By the way, Jordan, which one do you hate?" Andy asked. Jordan raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Beg pardon?"

"Y'know, which of the kids do you hate? Keith, Alexa or Keenan?" Andy elaborated.

"...none of them," Jordan sighed. "Seriously, Andy, you and Gabby have problems, hating on kids."

"J-Jordan, they're our opposition!" Andy exclaimed. "How can you stand there and tolerate them?!"

"...they're kids. Hardly a threat."

"It's a Pokémon Ranger with two others who're presumed to be Trainers!" Andy shouted.

"I think she's a Ranger too...I forgot," Gabby said calmly.

"She is, yes. She wore the uniform on our first encounter," Jordan confirmed. "Your point, Andy?"

"A-and you're not worried about them?!"

"No, I'm not. About the two Trainers, curious as to their strength at the most, but not worried. Especially not of the youngest. Anyway, we're wasting scouting time. Get in."

Alexa left the Cherrygrove Pharmacy with a small paper bag in one hand. Satisfied with her collection, she proceeded to visit the Poke Mart, picking up a cherry-coloured basket on her way in.

Inside the Poké Mart looked a lot like a convenience store; there was merchandise for both human and Pokémon use and consumption lined in designated shelves. The pair cash registers were to the left hand side of the building. There were shelves lined along the floor, spaced apart to make pathways for shoppers to browse with ease. There were a small line of refrigerators at the far end of the shop, again, filled with merchandise for humans and Pokémon, each in separate refrigerators. Alexa made a mental note to browse through them before finishing her shopping. Placing the medication in the basket temporarily, she began to walk around the store, looking around for what she wished to purchase. She picked up a green box of herbal tea and looked at the listed ingredients. She nodded and placed the box into the basket as she moved further down the aisle.

Alexa placed two cold cans of cola into her basket, along with the other items of her choosing; they included a small brown bottle labelled "Calcium", the box of herbal tea, a box of Lava Cookies and a box of Chocolate Chip Cookies. She finally approached the checkout and placed her basket on top of the pile of previously used baskets that were on the floor next to her, after having liberated it of her chosen purchases and Keith's prescription. As the cashier ran the items through the bar code scanner, Alexa pocketed the pills in exchange for her purse; a small black and orange purse about the size of a standard credit card. The cashier almost informed Alexa of the total cost of her purchase, but he caught a glimpse of her.

"Hey, aren't you Mr Thorndyke's kid?" he asked. Alexa let out a silent sigh of near frustration; a cashier who recognised her as the boss's daughter was the last thing she wanted.

"One of them," she answered as politely as she could.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot he has two," the clerk laughed nervously. "But why're you buying stuff from your dad's business? It doesn't make sense, the money would just go back to him!" he laughed. He soon acknowledged Alexa's look; her eyebrow was raised and she looked impatient. The clerk cleared his throat.

"I-I'll just knock off 50%..." he said nervously. Alexa felt mildly satisfied; while it was true that she had certain perks, given her father owned the Poké Mart chain, she refused to fully utilise them, only willing to accept a half price discount on all purchases. She handed the clerk a 10 dollar note and accepted her change before claiming her brown bag of items. She placed her wallet and Keith's medication inside it as she walked out, thanking the clerk on her way out.

Alexa took a deep breath as she walked out of Cherrygrove City. All in all, a good outing, she thought.

"Alexa!" She heard Skywing hollering her name and spotted him flying over to her, with a minimised blue Poké Ball with red lumps on the top in one talon. Skywing seemed anxious.

"Hi, Skywing. I got the pills, home time," Alexa said.

"Wonderful." Skywing's tone hinted his worry if his expression hadn't. Alexa sighed.

"Okay, spill. What happened?" Alexa asked. Skywing seemed reluctant to answer.

"My timing left a lot to be desired," he began truthfully. "When I got there, there was a scuffle..."

"Scuffle?" Alexa queried. She dreaded the answer.

"Lupin was attacking anyone within poking distance. Including Shandra," Skywing replied gravely. Alexa was mildly shocked; Shandra was Lupin's student, not to mention a very gentle Gardevoir. She couldn't understand how Lupin could attack such a sweet Pokémon.

"Is everyone all right?" she asked worriedly. Skywing nodded.

"Phoenix put him in his place, but I fear Lupin will be highly disgruntled once he's outside of his Poké Ball," he added.

"Oh..."

"I apologise," Skywing sighed.

"It's not your fault; I just hope Shandra and everyone else Lupin attacked will be okay," Alexa said wishfully.

"Ian was tending to the wounded when I was preparing to leave," Skywing replied. "How fortuitous he was around."

"Sounds it. Oh, almost forgot." Alexa stopped and searched her carrier bag for the Calcium bottle she purchased. "Here, I bought this for you; I figured you'd be exhausted." Skywing smiled.

"How delightful, a Calcium! Thank you so very much!" Alexa unscrewed the lid and removed the foil seal as Skywing perched on Alexa's arm, being very careful not to drop the Poké Ball. Using his wings to hold the bottle, Skywing enjoyed his drink, which, because of the soda cans in the bag, was colder than usual. Skywing didn't care for the temperature of the drink, he enjoyed it regardless. Alexa waited patiently for her little parrot to finish his drink, appreciating his efforts.

As Skywing finished the last few drops of the bottle's contents, Jordan's Jeep pulled up in front of Alexa. A few blasts from the Jeep's horn caught her and Skywing's attention as Jordan stood up to face the pair.

"Well, well. Out on your own, Alexa?" Jordan asked. Alexa and Skywing were less than pleased to see them, especially after yesterday's waterside encounter.

"None of your business," Alexa said spitefully. "I should arrest you three right here and now."

"But, alas, you lack the manpower to apprehend all three of us at once," Jordan said casually. Alexa recoiled a little; he had a point.

"You seriously have a lot of nerve, ambushing a young lady from behind!" Skywing fumed. Andy scoffed.

"It was hardly an ambush, Feathers!"

"Awww, is Polly still cranky from his time in the Poach Ball?" Gabby asked tauntingly.

"D-D-DON'T USE THAT STEREOTYPE ON ME!" Skywing shouted with extreme anger; he took great offence to Gabby's remark. Alexa used her finger to stroke Skywing's cheek.

"Shh, Skywing, deep breaths," she whispered. The little bird took her advice and began to breathe deeply, enhancing his calm.

"Anyway, to business. What say we have a battle? One on one, you and me," Jordan proposed. Alexa almost laughed at the offer.

"Sorry; I have priorities, and battling you isn't on the list," Alexa objected.

"I see. But you're not the only one I'm interested in battling," Jordan stated. Alexa's eyes widened.

"Wait...you want to battle Keenan too?!"

"Why of course. I'd prefer to know how strong my opposition is and I'm not presently convinced that you and your boys are a threat," Jordan explained.

"Well maybe we'd be able to prove you wrong if you stopped trying to kill us every day!" Alexa yelled angrily.

"Incidentally, if you don't believe Alexa and her boys, as you called them, are a threat, then why the attempted murders?!" Skywing asked interrogatively. "It makes no logical sense!"

Jordan ignored Skywing and Alexa, sending out his Cokeldurr into battle. Andy and Gabby released their Pokémon, Scrafty and Roserade respectively, to join Conkeldurr in battle. Scrafty was chewing the whole time and occasionally blew a brown bubble from his mouth, which popped. Scrafty took the bubblegum back into his mouth and resumed chewing, beginning the cycle all over again.

"Oh for goodness' sake...better send Ronan out, Alexa, they're not fighting fair," Skywing complained. Alexa nodded and took out Ronan's Lure Ball from her pocket. She released her Golduck from the Poké Ball despite her reluctance to battle. She began to acknowledge her situation; at the present, she had two Pokémon against their three. The only way she could make the battle fair is if she called upon Lupin's power to aid Skywing and Ronan, but, remembering her earlier conversation with Skywing, she was hesitant to resort to that.

Under his natural form, Xavier entered the bedroom to check on Keith. Robbie continued to lie on the floor, occasionally exhaling loudly. Reese lost interest in the magazine, now showing interest in one of Alexa's Pokémon plush toys; her Jirachi plush. The plush looked well made, but it also looked worn out and well handled, despite its unbroken seams.

"How're you doin', buddy?" asked the Zoroark cheerfully.

"I've been better," Keith complained. Xavier looked at Robbie briefly before facing Keith again.

"Robbie been helpin' your symptoms?" he asked.

"About that...I think something's bothering him," Keith said quietly.

"Maybe he's just shaken up after yesterday, no biggie," Xavier smiled.

"I dunno..."

"Look, once Alex gets back, I'm sure she'll get to the bottom of it. Anyway, anything you need?" Xavier asked.

"No," Keith said bluntly. Xavier sighed as he ran his claws down his face.

"Look, Alex asked me to look out for you, meaning I have a duty of care over you until she gets back," he stated.

"I know, but I don't need anything, Xavier," Keith said casually.

"Oh." Xavier laughed sheepishly. "Oh, yeah, how did you feel about meeting her parents?"

"Uh...okay, I guess. Bit nervous, though. Why?" Keith asked curiously.

"You're gonna be meeting the grandparent soon," Xavier smiled. Keith was puzzled.

"Eh?"

"So, Alexa, are you prepared to battle now?" Jordan asked. Ronan and Skywing patiently awaited Alexa's reply, Skywing half expecting her to agree to the battle despite her better judgement.

"Prepared, yes, willing, no," Alexa replied simply. Jordan sighed.

"So be it."

Ronan instantly moved in to attack Conkeldurr, but ended up in a grapple match against the bubble-blowing Scrafty. Conkeldurr stood perfectly still, as per Jordan's instruction. Roserade released spores from her red bouquet, all of which struck Skywing like a nasty smell. He felt drowsy and his wings slowly ceased flapping. He began to lose altitude, finally having fallen asleep. Alexa caught him before he fell to the ground, but the Poké Ball escaped his talons and opened on impact with the ground. Alexa could only watch as the Pokémon appeared from the Poké Ball. An Alakazam formed from the shining light and stood tall, with a silver spoon in either hand, a well groomed moustache and a red five-pointed star on his forehead. This was the Pokémon Alexa and Skywing mentioned numerous times.

"L-Lupin..."

"Heh; Polly had a Poké Ball on 'im, huh?" Andy smirked, taking an interest in the sudden turn of events.

"That makes us evenly matched, Alexa," Jordan said.

"But I-" Alexa instantly stopped mid-sentence as the Alakazam gave her a cold glare. Alexa felt a sudden chill down her spine, and it wasn't the breeze. Ronan released himself from the grapple, consequently causing Scrafty to fall flat on his face, and quickly stepped in front of Alexa, returning Lupin's glare just as coldly. Whatever he thought Lupin might do, Ronan wasn't willing to let him try anything, least of all anything to Alexa.

"Oh, dear...looks like Alakzam's not a team player," Jordan tutted. "So, did it have a previous Trainer or does it just not like you?"

Lupin looked towards the opposing Pokémon as his eyes seemed to sparkle. He crossed his arms almost over his face as his spoons shone in a bright pink glow. He quickly spread his arms out, releasing a large blade of pink psychic energy straight at the Pokémon before him. The blade was long enough to strike all three of them at once, defeating them in one hit. Andy, upon seeing his Scrafty fall victim to the attack, was gob-smacked.

"Psycho Cut?! How the hell did that hit Scrafty?! It's a DARK type!" he almost screamed in frustration and astonishment.

"Lupin used Miracle Eye," Alexa replied.

"And that, Andy, allows Psychic type attacks to hurt Dark type Pokémon," Jordan concluded.

"That's a smart Alakazam," Gabby said plainly.

"They ALL are, Gabs," Jordan sighed. "Anyway, get the Pokémon back, we're off," he said as he recalled his defeated Conkeldurr. Alexa couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"Wh...just like that?!"

"You have your priorities, Alexa, and I have mine," Jordan explained.

"Then WHY did you bother confronting me?!" Alexa shrieked in complete fury.

"Calm down; you'll cause a scene," Jordan sighed. Alexa scowled at the man.

"You're more than capable of doing that yourself," she said nastily. Jordan nodded.

"Indeed. But I don't humiliate myself in the process. Andy, let's roll."

As the Jeep drove off, Ronan watched Lupin approaching the sleeping Chatot. He looked strangely content for a Pokémon that was forced to sleep. Using one of his spoons, Lupin poked the bird in the stomach continuously until he woke up with a snort and a yawn.

"Huh, what..? Oh. Lupin. Must've dropped your Poké Ball," Skywing said half-heartedly.

"Kazam," Lupin grunted as he levitated his Poké Ball with his telekinetic power.

"Are you okay, Skywing?"

"Perfectly, my dear, it was only Sleep Powder, after all," Skywing smiled. Ronan took the floating Poké Ball and held it in front of Lupin, wanting him to return to it.

"Guuhbuuh..."

"That's a bad idea, Ronan; he didn't want to go into it in the first place," Skywing cautioned. Ronan looked at Skywing momentarily before returning the Poké Ball to Alexa.

"I'll be fine, Ronan, don't worry. Let's just go back home, we're not far off now," Alexa said with forced optimism. Still glaring at Lupin, Ronan followed her as she walked towards Violet City. Reluctantly, Lupin followed Ronan.

"Robbie's depressed?" Ryder asked as he raided the refrigerator in the kitchen. Xavier casually leaned against the wall and watched Ryder's search.

"Yeah, Keith said he hasn't been himself since yesterday," he explained. "I think it's just the shock of what happened to Keith, but seems to think different." Ryder lifted his head out of the fridge and held a bottle of milk in his paw. He used his other paw to close the door.

"And you think Alex can find out if Keith's right about that?" he asked as his eyes and paw shone cyan.

"I hope she can, yeah," Xavier replied, watching as the box of oat cereal, surrounded in a cyan glow, slowly flew down from the cupboard and onto the counter, pouring some of its contents into a readily placed porcelain bowl. "If only to put Keith's mind at ease, but I'd like to be able to help the poor Deerling."

"I doubt he'd like what he might find out," Ryder said as he poured some milk over the oats in the bowl. "If Robbie's not saying anything to Keith, then chances are it's a personal matter."

"Where'd you get that philosophy?" Xavier asked as Ryder took the bowl in both paws.

"Phoenix," Ryder replied. He looked at the bowl of oats and milk with great adoration before he began consuming the contents rather greedily. The messy method of eating cereal hadn't fazed Xavier in the slightest.

"Not surprised; Phoenix seems to know a lot. He's a better Pokémon to turn to than-"

Xavier and Ryder, whose mouth was now soaked with milk with the occasional oat stuck to his fur, looked towards the front door as it opened. Alexa was the first to enter the house, but allowed Ronan, Skywing and Lupin inside. Xavier was glad he couldn't finish his sentence, as the Pokémon he was about to mention was now in the vicinity. Alexa closed and locked the front door behind them. Alexa gave the opened box of Lava Cookies to Skywing before retreating up the stairs with the rest of her shopping. Lupin glared at Xavier and Ryder. Ryder returned the glare, but Xavier looked at the Alakazam plainly.

"Speak of the devil."

Alexa entered her bedroom and closed her door behind her. She took out the rest of the Lava Cookies from her carrier bag and placed them near Reese. Robbie's curiosity got the better of his depression and he approached the cookies. Both Pokémon sniffed the cookies before taking one to sample. Having realised they enjoyed Lava Cookies, they went on to appreciate Alexa's treat. She walked over to her bed and sat next to Keith, pulling out the white paper bag from the plastic carrier bag.

"Got the meds," she said unenthusiastically.

"Are you okay?" Keith asked worriedly, noticing her lack of cheer in a heartbeat.

"I just saw Jordan, that's all," Alexa replied.

"Just saw Jordan?" Keith asked suspiciously.

"We almost battled. Well, we did, but it only lasted about 20 seconds..."

"Oh. Alexa?"

"Yeah?"

"Robbie seems to be depressed," Keith explained. "I don't know what's wrong with him."

"I noticed he was blue. Take Reese with you when you're better and I'll talk to Robbie if I get the chance," Alexa advised.

"If?" Keith was confused.

"R-remember Lupin?" Alexa asked reluctantly. Lupin. The name seemed to have rung a bell for Keith, as he recalled the first time he heard the name.

"Yeah, why?"

"He caused trouble for my other Pokémon...I'm going to try to communicate with him," Alexa replied quietly.

"Is that a good idea?" Keith asked. Alexa looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he might not want to communicate, least of all with you. N-no offence..." Alexa felt slightly heartbroken, but she knew Keith had a point. For seven years, Lupin had blamed her for the death of his best friend and lost communication with her other Pokémon for just as long. Alexa felt her breathing growing a little faster as she sighed a shaky sigh.

"N-none taken. But I'm his Trainer, the least I can do is try," she said as calmly as she could.

"But if he doesn't want anything to do with you...what'll you do then?" Keith asked. He sounded as reluctant as he looked, as if he didn't even want to ask. Alexa felt herself tearing up as she pondered an answer. Robbie and Reese stopped all activity and watched Alexa with concern.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "It's been seven years since Lydia died, and we've...well, we've not exactly been the best of friends from that moment on..."

"Does he still listen to you in battle?" Keith asked sensitively.

"Surprisingly, yes. But it's like...I don't even know him anymore," Alexa said sadly.

"Alexa..." Keith placed a hand on her arm, trying to comfort her, but it didn't stop her eyes from watering. She sighed again.

"I guess I should prepare for the worst."

"That being...?" Keith asked. Truthfully, Keith didn't want to know if the answer would upset her. Alexa choked back her tears, and replied, her voice cracking.

"...to let him go."

_To be continued..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – Wrath of the Wild**

Keith scarcely believed what he had heard. He couldn't understand how Alexa could be so submissive so soon. But his lack of understanding of what Alexa had said kept him from being at a loss for words.

"Wait...let him go?" he queried.

"It means I'd release him into the wild." Alexa hesitated as she answered the query, dreading the thought.

"But why? Can't one of your parents take him? Or any other family member?" Keith asked, almost out of desperation. Even Reese and Robbie were astounded at the prospect.

"I doubt he'd listen to anyone else. It's a miracle he still listens to me at all," she sighed as she lowered her head in shame.

"I don't believe you'd be so willing to give up on him."

"I'm not, releasing him is just the worst case scenario," Alexa explained, keeping herself as calm as possible. "If he refuses to connect with me, it's better I release him. I don't want to keep him against his will." She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, babe," Keith whispered. She fell backwards onto her bed, narrowly avoiding Keith, and sighed shakily. Keith faced her and stroked her hair.

"It's not your fault. I guess I should've kept a better eye on Lydia that day. If I had, he wouldn't hate me as he does now."

"He doesn't hate you, Alexa. If he did, he wouldn't have listened to you in battle, right? That's got to mean something," Keith said, feigning optimism.

"Because I'm his trainer; he feels as though he has to listen to me in battle," Alexa said. "His attitude hasn't improved after he evolved either. If anything, he's grown colder."

"Then it's time to warm him up. Eh?" Keith smiled. "If anyone can get through to him, it's his trainer."

"I hope so."

"Hey. Stop being such a grump," Keith smirked. "That's not who you are. Is it?" Alexa giggled; she felt a tickling sensation on her hips, courtesy of Keith quickly running his fingers on her hips. "Eh? Is it?"

"Keith..!" Alexa tried to contain the uncontrollable laughter, but she couldn't endure Keith tickling her for very long, if at all. Reese and Robbie were amused by Keith's antics. Alexa's legs flailed as she laughed hysterically while Keith kept tickling her. He soon stopped and allowed Alexa to catch her breath. She laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. But the wide smile on her face was more than enough to prove her change of mood. She was happy again. She was laughing slightly as she breathed.

"That's better," Keith teased. Alexa was focused on regaining her composure, and not laughing at every breath, she hardly had the energy to say anything until she was finally calm.

They heard the sound of the front door opening and closing, followed by the faint sounds of people talking from downstairs.

"That must be my parents," Alexa assumed.

"I didn't think they'd be back so soon," Keith stated.

"Goldenrod isn't that far from Violet City if you know which way to go," Alexa explained. "Though sometimes a Sudowoodo blocks the short cut."

"The same one?" Keith questioned.

"No, it's a different one every time. Fortunately, Goldenrod City houses the 3rd gym in the region, so trainers often resolve that problem. Either that or they get scared off by veteran trainers like my Dad."

"Ah. You should go and see them," Keith smiled. Alexa sat up and looked down at him with a mutual warm smile.

"You should get some rest anyway," she agreed.

"Rest? I've been getting it all morning!" Keith said playfully, poking Alexa in her back. Alexa playfully poked him back.

"And you will for a week, unless your cold goes away beforehand," she laughed. She hopped out of the bed and left her room.

Walking down the stairs, she indeed finds her parents and her brother around the kitchen table and the sofa, all of which have gold coloured plastic carrier bags placed on them. Noticing her daughter immediately, Lily pulls out a green parka jacket from one of the bags and holds it out in front of her.

"Ta-da! What do you think, love?" she asked. Alexa looked at the jacket from afar; she liked it, but had a smirk on her face.

"Doesn't look your size," she joked. Lily laughed.

"Oh, you..! Try it on, I want to know if I've got the right size." Alexa approached her mother and proceeded to run her arms through the sleeves.

"I just think you want to see how she looks in it," Hayden chuckled. "You couldn't wait for her to try it on."

"That, too," Lily laughed. Alexa smiled to herself; she loved seeing her family in such a sunny mood. She put the jacket on properly and pulled the zip up to her neck. Lily examined the coat and related its size to Alexa's figure; the jacket hadn't revealed her figure, her sleeves went slightly over her wrists and the jacket's length was enough to cover her backside, much like her tunic. For the heck of it, Alexa pulled the fluff-lined hood over her head; she could still see with it over her head. Lily nodded.

"Hm. How does it feel?" Alexa around herself, trying to look at how long the coat is compared to her.

"Not bad," she replied. "Probably a bit big, though," she added, looking at her sleeves, and at how her hands almost disappeared into the coat. "But fine."

"I kind of thought size 16 was a stretch," Lily mused, examining the coat once more.

"Nah. You'll grow into it, won't you, Lexie?" Hayden smiled.

"Yeah, no worries," Alexa smiled. "If I don't, no biggie," she added.

"Oh, hey, check these out!" Keenan handed Alexa a pair of black gloves. Alexa looked at them and felt how thin they were.

"Gloves?"

"They're thin, but they'll keep your hands warm," Hayden explained. "I know how much you don't like thick gloves." Alexa nodded.

"Thanks, Mum, thanks, Dad."

"When Keith's better, I'd like to take him to the Department Store for a jacket of his own," Lily requested. "I don't know his size."

"I'll let him know," Alexa said kindly. Keenan handed Alexa a pair of grey gloves.

"Here, take these to him as well; we got him a pair too," he explained.

"Aw, he'll appreciate that! Thanks!" Hayden had a sneaky idea, noticing Alexa was about to take the coat off.

"Hey. Show him your jacket as well," he suggested. "See what he thinks." He winked. Alexa laughed.

"Dad..!" Lily carefully pulled the price tag from under the jacket's collar and cut it off with a pair of scissors, satisfied at Alexa's verdict on it. She removed the tag from her gloves before Alexa returned up the stairs. Keenan began searching through the shopping bags on the sofa.

The Pokémon remained silent. Lupin sat in the corner, ignoring what went on behind him, while Ryder and Xavier just sat on the separate armrests, Ryder glaring at Lupin. Skywing was nowhere to be seen.

Alexa entered her bedroom and approached Keith's side of the bed, allowing him to get a closer look at her new coat.

"Looking good, girl," Keith complimented.

"Thanks. Oh, here," Alexa handed the grey pair of gloves to him. "Keenan said these are for you."

"Thanks," Keith smiled as he accepted the gift. "I take it it's only going to get colder in Johto, huh?"

"Kanto's not going to be any better either, no," Alexa stated. "Which reminds me, Mum wants to take you to get a new jacket. I think she understands that your uniform jacket isn't going to be insulating enough."

"At the Department Store?" Keith queried.

"Yeah, they have a really good clothes shop where my coat came from," Alexa smiled. Keith put on a playful pout.

"Aw, and I thought we were supposed to have a date there!" Alexa laughed, seeing through his act instantly.

"We still can! We'll just be going to the clothes shop when you're better, but on that date," Alexa began as she moved closer to Keith's face. "We'll be there .long," she concluded softly.

"Looking forward to it," Keith said in a low whisper. Their noses touched brifly before she kissed his forehead as she stood up. "Gonna test out your coat?"

"Why not?" Alexa said cheerfully. "There's still some frost left outside."

"Don't catch a cold," Keith teased. Alexa, though smiling, raised an eyebrow.

"Don't make fun of yourself," she said. Keith laughed as Alexa walked out of the room.

"Oh, shoot!" Keenan groaned in frustration. Alexa arrived downstairs and, having heard her brother's moaning, approached him.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I must've left my Poké Gear at the department store!" he complained.

"You have," Hayden said as he removed his mobile from his ear. "James from security's just called me; he found it."

"That's nice of him," Lily smiled. Hayden nodded in agreement.

"He said it's in the security office, and that's where it'll stay until you collect it," he said to Keenan. The boy nodded.

"I'm gonna go get it," he said instantly.

"What, now?" Lily asked in bewilderment.

"I'll go with him," Alexa said, setting her mother's mind at ease. Except Lily was more puzzled than concerned.

"Okay, just be careful," Hayden cautioned.

"We will," Alexa and Keenan said together. Alexa placed her gloves over her hands and followed her brother out of the house.

"Hello, Alexa!" Skywing called as he flew down towards her. Alexa smiled at her Chatot and held her hands out. Skywing flew over her hands and lay on his back in her palms, having a compressed Poké Ball in each of his talons.

"Hey, Skywing, where've you been?" Alexa asked.

"I've had a call from my Poké Gear while you were upstairs, my dear; Clarice and Jonah wanted to get away from the island for a little while," he explained, pointing to his talons with his wing.

"Thanks, Skywing. Almost went out without a Pokémon anyway," Alexa laughed as she carefully took the Poké Balls from Skywing.

"It wouldn't have mattered," Keenan said as he released his small Vaporeon from her Poké Ball. She rubbed her head against Keenan's legs as soon as she regained her composure.

"True. Skywing, why don't you go inside? I think you've flown enough for today."

"Agreed. Thank you, my dear, and take heart." Skywing flew into the house through the front door, which Alexa closed behind him. Pocketing the Poké Balls, she, Keenan and Iara walked away and out of town.

The rural path was quiet, almost to an ominous degree. Traces of frost remained in the shadowed areas of the path, the sky was completely bare and there was not a single gust of wind to be felt. Iara looked around as she walked, believing to have heard small noises all around her. Keenan looked up at his sister.

"Alex? Why's Lupin here?" he asked. Alexa felt awkward.

"I...somehow decided to try connecting with him again," she said shakily.

"He still blames you?" Keenan asked in slight shock.

"Yeah. In a way, he's right to, but her death was an accident; I want him to understand that." Keenan smiled.

"I'm sure he will."

"We'll see," Alexa wasn't as hopeful. "Well...we'll cross that bridge when we come to it; there's still Jordan to deal with." Keenan lost his smile.

"And you're already being discouraged..." Alexa sighed; she could never hide her feeling from him, as much as he couldn't hide his from her.

"Yesterday was a lot to deal with, yeah..."

Iara took a battling stance and began to growl. Alexa and Keith soon realised that wild Pokémon of different species, including Rattatas, Pidgeys, Mareep and even the likes of Stantler and even species that weren't native to Johto, such as Poochyena and Puurloin. The Pokémon surround Keenan and Alexa, abnormally irate and keen to battle. Alexa slowly dug her two Poké Balls out of her pocket while Keenan tried to stay as still as he could. Alexa opened her Poké Balls in her hands.

"Jonah, Clarice, we need you."

Streams of white light burst forth from the Poké Balls, one revealing a large Hydreigon with an exposed fang and toes on his atrophied feet. The other light stream formed into a petite Glaceon, the exact same height as Keenan's Vaporeon, with a pair of gold earrings in her ears. The Hydreigon instantly spotted the wild Pokémon, and began to attack whatever he could with fiery fangs and sheer brute force. Iara combined forces with the Glaceon to attack the Pokémon with narrow beams of ice unleashed from their gaping mouths. Regardless of their efforts, the number of wild Pokémon was seemingly limitless.

"What're we gonna do?" Keenan asked. "Iara's the only Pokémon I have with me, and they can't keep fighting forever!"

"You're right. Jonah!" The Hydreigon glanced back at his trainer expectantly. "Hyper Voice!" Alexa instructed, pointing in front of her. Jonah nodded and inhaled as deeply as he could. Accompanied by a large demonic roar, Jonah released large sound waves in the desired direction, clearing a path ahead of Alexa and Keenan.

"You did it!" Keenan praised to Jonah.

"Come on!" Alexa and Keenan fled from the crowd, closely followed by Jonah, Iara and Clarice. No matter which way they went, wild Pokémon constantly attempted to strike the two humans, forcing the pair to move further away from their intended destination.

Gabby laughed as she observed the wild Pokémon trying to attack the Jeep, only to flee almost instantly after attempting to attack.

"They're scared of vehicles!"

"How convenient," Andy said sarcastically. He couldn't see what the big deal was. Jordan breathed out some cigarette smoke from his lips.

"They're not used to vehicles. I don't suppose there are many in Johto," he assumed.

"What about Kanto?" Andy asked.

"Same," Jordan replied, holding his cigarette closer to his mouth.

"This is why I prefer Hoenn; it has vehicles!" Gabby complained. Jordan took his cigarette out of his mouth and breathed out more smoke.

"These regions don't use vehicles often," he began. "The exceptions are delivery trucks and moving vans, and maybe the emergency service vehicles. And anything that can travel on water, if you want to get pedantic."

"What is it, a no vehicles policy?" Andy groaned.

"No, but the use of motorised vehicles, particularly on the roads, is discouraged. Hence the exceptions," Jordan explained. "The use of vehicles is kept to a minimum." Spontaneously, Gabby looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw a large black silhouette she didn't recognise flying above the region.

"Jordan, look!" Gabby pointed at the strange Pokémon. Jordan glanced up and spotted the bird. He seemed impressed.

"A Braviary, huh..? Andy, follow it."

"You got it, Chief!" Andy smiled, eagerly complying with Jordan's instruction.

The yellow-clawed Braviary flew contentedly in the air, carrying his trainer on his back with ease. The man looked to be no older than 65, and was dressed in a dull yellow shirt, with a small violet pen clipped to his front pocket, and grey trousers with black boots. He also wore a white belt and carried a navy blue shoulder-bag on his back. He almost looked like Hayden, in the way of his sapphire blue eyes and very similar hairstyle, but his hair was of an aged brunette colour. The rider felt the wind blowing through his hair and smiled.

"Aah, I tell you, AJ, flying makes me feel alive," he said to his companion. AJ squinted up at him with a smile.

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!" AJ screeched in response. AJ's trainer laughed.

"You know what I mean!" He looked down at where he was flying over. He was astonished to see three Pokémon fighting off an army of wild Pokémon. "AJ."

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!" AJ dove down towards the commotion. The rider was astonished to discover, as AJ flew closer, that Alexa and Keenan were in the middle of it all, but were safe on Jonah's back.

With a large thump, the giant bird descended to the ground and inhaled. AJ let out an ear-piercing screech that scared off all but one wild Pokémon; a lone Rattata dared to confront the eagle Pokémon. AJ lowered his head to face the Rattata head on. He stared at the little purple rat with his enormous grey eyes. Intimidated by the almost evil glare, the Rattata fled like the others before it. AJ raised his head and nodded with satisfaction.

"Nice work, AJ," the older man said, petting the Braviary.

"Thanks, Grandpa!" Keenan said gratifyingly. He faced his grandchildren with a smile.

"You okay, kids?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I thought they'd never stop," Alexa sighed. "How did you know we were here, anyway?"

"Ian Thorndyke knows all," Ian joked. "But, seriously, I saw some commotion from the air. I didn't know it involved you two until we got close enough."

"It wasn't our fault, Grandpa, they attacked us on their own free will!" Keenan exclaimed. "We weren't even doing anything to them!"

"Except fight them off for self-defence," Alexa added. She quietly thanked Jonah, Iara and Clarice immediately afterwards.

"Huh. What caused that, I wonder," Ian mused. Alexa saw a vehicle approaching. Recognising it straight away, she became cross.

"Speak of the devil," she said nastily.

"Huh?"

Andy drove into the clearing and stopped in front of Alexa, Keenan and Ian. Jordan stood up from the back of the Jeep.

"Well, look at what we have here! Twice in one day, Alexa? We need to stop with these random encounters," Jordan said mockingly.

"Hello, Jordan," Alexa said soullessly. Ian, puzzled, looked between the stranger and his granddaughter.

"You know each other?"

"We're on a first name basis, gramps," Andy stated, leaning against the steering wheel. "Might as well if she's gonna be a thorn in our stride."

"That must mean you had something to do with the Pokémon disappearing, am I right?" Ian asked with suspicion.

"We had, yes. I'm not worried; three kids aren't going to stop us," Jordan said calmly. Ian raised an eyebrow.

"Three?"

"Alexa, Keenan and the sickie, Keith," Gabby clarified in her usual arrogant tone. Ian folded his arms.

"Right. Well, I suggest you move along. Now," he said firmly. Andy scoffed.

"What makes you think we'll listen to you, gramps?"

"I can handle this-"

"It's okay, Lexie; I've got it," Ian smiled. Jordan looked at the Braviary glaring at him. AJ carried a glare that could pierce someone's soul.

"That's your Braviary, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes, he is," Ian said proudly. "And unless you want to risk your Pokémon's health by battling him, I suggest the three of you be on your way."

"What—no! We're supposed to be catching these guys!" Alexa cried.

"Even if you do, and I'm not saying you will, it's too soon for that," Jordan said coldly. "But we will be leaving now. Alexa, Keenan...the next time we meet, you won't be so lucky. Andy, get us out of here." Andy smirked at Alexa and Keenan as he started the engine again.

"Later, kiddies!" he cackled as he drove the Jeep away.

"I could've handled them," Alexa sighed with disappointment. "It's why I'm back in Johto to begin with..." Ian faced her solemnly.

"I know. Your father explained everything to me the other day." He smiled at Keenan. "And I hear you're helping too."

"Yeah. We're not really getting anywhere, though," Keenan replied glumly. Ian patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't lose hope. Karma will catch up to him – and his lackeys – sooner or later," he said confidently.

"I hope so; we're barely a week into the case and they've already done a lot of damage," Alexa said unenthusiastically. "They pretty much almost killed Keith yesterday, and now he's sick in bed!"

"I see. Keith, huh? Looking forward to meeting him," Ian smiled.

"Did Dad tell you about him?" Keenan asked.

"He did, yes. So, what're you two doing out here then, huh?"

"Oh, I left my Poké Gear at the Department Store and we were going to pick it up," Keenan explained.

"Ah. I might as well accompany you; I was on my way to the house, but seeing as we're here, it'd be silly for me to go to the house now," Ian offered. "Besides, I don't want those three to come after you two if I'm not here."

"I doubt that, I already saw them once today," Alexa said plainly as she recalled her tired Hydreigon back into his Poké Ball. Ian returned AJ to his Poké Ball and escorted Alexa and Keenan to Goldenrod City, with their Vaporeon and Glaceon following.

Jordan lay in the back of the Jeep, with his arms under his head, as Andy drove the Jeep further down the rural path. Gabby watched Jordan with intrigue.

"So, Jordan..."

"No, Andy, I do not think that old man is going to get in our way," Jordan sighed. "Probably just one of those good citizens or something."

"What Pokémon are we gonna go after next, Jordie?" Gabby asked, almost seductively.

"I know exactly what our next target will be," he stated casually.

"Oh yeah?" Andy was interested.

"Is it a good one?" Gabby asked wishfully.

"One of the rarest species out there," Jordan replied.

"Sweet! Which?" Andy asked.

"...Lapras."

Ian left the Goldenrod Department Store with Alexa and Keenan following. Keenan was happy to have his Poké Gear back with him. The three, plus the two evolved Eevees, proceeded out of town and took the short route back to Violet City. Along the way, Iara and Clarice looked around suspiciously, believing to be hearing faint noises from the bushes around them. Ian looked at Alexa.

"So, Lexie...this Keith fellow's your fella, huh?" Alexa felt awkward again, and blushed.

"Y-yeah, why?" she asked.

"Who made the first move?" he asked jokingly. Alexa's blushing intensified.

"Grandpa! Not in front of Keenan!"

"He's all right, he's not a child," Ian said casually.

"I'm 12," Keenan sighed.

"See? He'll be getting that talk soon."

"Oh..!" Alexa buried her face in her knuckles out of disgust. By now she was blushing so hard her face was almost pink. "Must you refer to that..?!"

"Why so squeamish?" Ian laughed. "You had that talk when you were 12, and now you're in a relationship, so-"

"PLEASE! Don't finish that sentence!" Alexa cried abruptly. Ian laughed a little harder than before.

"I'm just messin' with you, Lexie!" Keenan stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, no..!"

Ian and Alexa soon spotted more wild Pokémon circling around them, intent on attacking them. Iara and Clarice prepared to battle, but Ian pulled out a pink Poké Ball with a lighter pink heart pattern on top.

"Alexa, Keenan, put your Pokémon into their Poké Balls," he said quietly. They returned their Eeveelutions to their Poké Balls, regardless of their lack of understanding of the instruction. Ian opened the Poké Ball and released the sublime Froslass from inside. She had a neat green velvet ribbon tied beautifully around her neck.

"Krystelle, I need a lullaby," Ian requested. Krystelle seemed to squeal with joy a little at the request.

She took a deep breath and began to hum a sweet melody that was easy on the ears. She sang magnificently; her notes were perfectly sung. The wild Pokémon, while hearing the song, began to feel drowsy. But it failed to stop Krystelle from singing her number. She sang and sang heavenly until each and every Pokémon succumbed to the effect of her lullaby, which was achieved by the time the Froslass concluded her song. The three humans looked around at the wild Pokémon, who were all peacefully sleeping, some snoring quietly as they slept.

"Wow. Nice vocals," Alexa said quietly.

"They're more agitated than I thought... Seems singing them to sleep's the best way to help them out," Ian assumed. "Thanks, Krystelle,"

"Froslass," Krystelle bowed modestly as Ian recalled her to her Love Ball.

"Skywing can sing. Maybe he can do more than carry Poké Balls from point A to point B," Alexa mused.

"But what about those who can't fall asleep?" Keenan asked.

"They won't fall asleep, per se, but the soothing music of a lullaby should still calm them down," Ian guessed. "These things can happen."

"They'll be okay once they wake up?" Alexa questioned. She was concerned, but cheered up once she saw the adorable sight of two Rattatas sleeping together; one was lying on the grass, the other slept with its head on its friend.

"Nothing like a good sleep to make you feel better," Ian smiled.

They eventually arrived home, where Ian started to talk to Lily and Hayden, Keenan quickly returned to his bedroom and Alexa began to have a word with her Chatot. By now, Ryder and Xavier were engaged in a rough battle on a video game played on a black rectangular games console. Ryder used his telekinetic powers to use his silver grey controller while Xavier used his claws to use his black controller normally. Ryder appeared to be losing the battle. Lupin remained in the corner, again, completely ignoring everything around him.

"Was everything okay in getting here, Dad?" Hayden asked.

"Fine. Had a spot of bother with some people who seemed to know the kids, though," Ian explained. "Never seen them before..."

"Ah, they must be those poachers Alexa and Keith are after," Lily assumed.

"They did say they knew Keith, yes," Ian nodded.

"It's got to be them then. They're the ones who stole the evolution stones from the Celadon Department Store," Hayden said.

"Oh, really?"

"Lullabies? I can see why they'd work, but I'm not sure if the ones I know are good enough," Skywing replied.

"What about Cassie? Maybe she can teach you some of hers?" Alexa suggested. Skywing put his wing to his beak in thought.

"Hmmm...Lapras do have such wonderful lullabies. I'd have to talk to her about it and see if she'd be willing to teach me one or two. I'm sure she will, though, she's a gentle soul."

"I think she will too. Thanks, Skywing," Alexa smiled.

"But of course. I love helping you in any way I can," Skywing said happily. "I just wish some Pokémon would realise that," he said spitefully as he glared at the angsty Alakazam.

"Say, Lexie?" Ian approached Alexa. "Mind if I introduce myself to Keith?"

"He's still sick from a cold, so I dunno...hmm..." Alexa had to think of an answer.

"It's better now than when he's better," Skywing whispered. "Your grandfather's going to be around for quite some time, and it'll be awkward to make the introduction a week later."

"Good point," Alexa agreed silently. She eventually nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I want to see how he is anyway."

"I don't need an escort, Lexie," Ian laughed. He followed Alexa up the stairs.

"Come on, Ryder, you suck at this game!" Xavier chortled.

"It's this controller, I know it is!" Ryder growled. Skywing flew down and landed on Ryder's head.

"Ryder, my boy, using your psychic powers isn't exactly the best way to use the controller, is it? And it's brand new, I'll have you know," he sighed.

Alexa and Ian arrived in her bedroom, where Reese and Robbie were startled by Ian's appearance, but soon calmed down when they realised he was friendly.

"Hi, Keith. There's someone to see you."

"Huh?" Keith looked towards Ian. Despite being ill, Ian looked glad to meet the boy. Alexa smiled at them both.

"Keith, this is my grandpa, Ian. Grandpa, this is Keith."

"So, this is the famous Keith my son told me about, huh?" Ian pondered.

"Y-your...Hayden's your son?" Keith asked.

"My second born, yessir. Ian Thorndyke, happy to meet you," Ian said, holding out a hand. Keith was confused at first, but gave the senior Thorndyke the handshake regardless.

"Keith. W-what did you hear about me?" he asked curiously.

"Aside from you being my granddaughter's lover? I've heard you stopped a killer of a Trainer from spilling Regigigas blood," Ian replied. Keith looked uneasy.

"Oh. That."

"Yep. Hayden used a crutch for a week and a half after that," Ian grumbled.

"Sorry..."

"No, it's not your fault," Ian said reassuringly. "I'm just glad he and Lexie got out of it safely," he smiled.

"Yeah," Keith agreed half-heartedly.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Keith, I don't bite," Ian chuckled.

"Sorry. I just thought we'd meet under better circumstances," Keith sighed.

"You'll be fine," Ian said as he turned to leave the room. He stopped by the door and looked at Keith one last time. "I don't expect Lexie's knight in shining armour to submit to a cold for long," he winked. Keith perked up.

"Wait, what?!" Ian laughed as he left the room, closing the door behind him. "W-what did he mean by that?!"

"He knows about Operation Brighton," Alexa explained, almost as half-hearted as Keith. "When you saved me and Ryder."

"Oh, that's..! So he doesn't know about-"

"None of them do, Keith," Alexa said, cutting Keith's sentence short. She soon smiled sweetly at him. "That's neither here nor there. How're you feeling?"

"A little better, actually," Keith said positively. "Hey, I'm supposed to take the pills even if I'm better again, right?"

"Yeah, you're to use them up. Once you have, that'll be it," Alexa replied. "But, hey, I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"Me too. I want to find and stop Jordan really badly." Alexa's smile shrank a little, slightly disappointed.

"Yeah. I know."

_To be continued..._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – Spelunking**

_Four days passed since Keith became ill, during which he made a full recovery. A day later, he acquired a jacket, as was promised by Alexa's mother, Lily. At the same time, Alexa's new uniform finally arrived, later than anticipated. Efforts to communicate with the anti-social Alakazam, Lupin, are yet to commence._

Keenan walked along the country road with Alexa and Keith, both fully clothed in their regulated Pokémon Ranger uniforms. They day was sunny and unusually warm for a winter's day; clouds were scarce and wide-spread, the sun shone on the earth and there was not a single patch of frost to be seen anywhere. The grass was bone dry, and the ground beneath their feet was hard and rough. Iara and Reese walked beside their respective partners while a new face hung from Alexa's arm. It was a Sneasel, with an unusual pair of eyes; one was red, the other was blue. He remained quiet as he hung from Alexa's arm, avoiding eye contact with everyone, bearing a neutral expression that was difficult to read. Alexa and Keenan were happy that Keith made a premature recovery, but Keith was just glad he could finally stop being a patient and get on with his assigned mission.

"I still have to take the capsules, though," Keith said with a sigh. Though smiling, Alexa looked at him with curiosity.

"Ever taken any before?" she asked.

"No," Keith replied, looking into the eyes of his colleague. "How did you cope with it? If you had any."

"I had some when I had my chest infection. It wasn't hard, just make sure you have plenty of drink when you take each pill," Alexa advised, speaking from experience. "Otherwise it might give you a nasty plastic-y after taste in the back of your throat."

"Tablets are the worst," Keenan noted. Alexa moaned loudly with revulsion as she raised her head randomly.

"Urgh, almost forgot about that!" she complained.

"Why, what happens?" Keith asked, tilting his head.

"Almost a powdery feeling..." Keenan struggled to conjure a more constructed answer. "It's hard to describe..."

"The tablet doesn't quite dissolve and the residue that breaks off of it once it gets wet stays at the back of your tongue until it's washed down properly," Alexa explained. Keenan nodded; Alexa stated exactly what he had wanted to say. "I swear, it's vile!"

"My pills are capsules, though, I won't get that," Keith said nervously.

"Doesn't mean you won't get the after taste," Keenan laughed. "Just keep drinking whatever it is you use to wash the pill down and you'll be fine."

"I'll keep that in mind," Keith chuckled. He turned his attention to the dangling Sneasel holding onto Alexa's arm, subtly rocking back and forth as she walked. "What's his story then?"

"Shade just likes hanging from stuff," Alexa said casually. "Tree branches, gates, wall decorations, my arm...if he can hang from it, he'll hang from it."

"Where did you meet him anyway?" Keith asked with intrigue. Alexa stopped and turned to face the largest mountain in the horizon. Keenan, Keith and the Pokémon faced the same direction.

"Mt Silver," Alexa finally replied. "It's a rough mountain between Johto and Kanto, though technically on Johto soil."

"How can you tell?" Keenan asked.

"It's slightly more towards Johto when compared to Tohjo Falls, which is dead on between Kanto and Johto, hence the name," Alexa replied.

"Ah. What's it like? Mt Silver," Keith asked, curious about the large mountain.

"Dangerous, for one," Alexa began. "There're many rough Pokémon living on and inside the mountain, which is why it was closed off for the most part, only allowing trainers with 16 Gym badges or more to the area."

"Was?" Keith asked.

"It's closed off indefinitely now," Alexa continued. "There's Mountain Patrol there, but that's it. No Trainers are allowed near Mt Silver, regardless of how many gym badges they possess."

"How come?" Keith asked, still showing interest in the information Alexa provided.

"Avalanches," she answered. "Mt Silver is prone to them, and it was indefinitely closed off for Trainers after an avalanche killed a group of them while exploring the area."

"Geez...what were they looking for?" Keith asked quietly.

"Nobody knows," Alexa replied, turning around to walk further down the path, Keith, Keenan and the Pokémon followed, retaining interest in Alexa's story. "Most assume they were looking for rare Pokémon, because there are certain Pokémon in Johto that only live on Mt Silver, like Misdreavus."

"But Dad met Malik in the Ilex Forest," Keenan said.

"Malik's an oddball," Alexa laughed. "Anyway, I had the fortune to have gone to Mt Silver prior to the avalanche that made it inaccessible, which is where I met Shade."

"What do you think those Trainers were looking for? Y'know, before they died?" Keith asked, trying not to sound insensitive to the deceased.

"I dunno; could be anything," Alexa shrugged. "Could've been looking for Larvitar, could've been looking for Donphan, could've been looking for Moltres, who knows?"

"Wait, what? Moltres? What's that?" Keith asked in bewilderment.

"In short, one of a trio of Pokémon known as the Legendary Birds," Alexa explained, almost breathless from all of the explanation she was giving. "They roam the world, so nobody knows for sure where they actually live. But they do have several roosting spots, one of Moltres's spots being Mt Silver."

"In that case, we might need to be wary about that place," Keith said seriously. "If Jordan finds out about it, that might be one of our destinations."

"Oh geez, yeah..!" Alexa slapped a hand on her head in realisation. "A legendary Pokémon would be one hell of a catch for a poacher!"

"Legendary Pokémon are called as such because they're stronger than other Pokémon, though, right?" Keenan queried worriedly. Shade glanced up at his almost anxious Trainer.

"Yeah. Let's hope that'll be enough for Moltres to defend itself if push comes to shove," Alexa prayed. She relaxed and smiled at her brother and boyfriend. "But I doubt Jordan knows about it at the moment, so why worry about it? If we don't say anything to him, we won't have to be concerned."

The rest of the talk proved to be positive until the group arrived outisde of a cave entrance. There was an isolated Pokémon Centre to their left hand side, but a parked black vehicle caught their eyes, especially since it was a significantly distinctive one to them.

"Does anybody else recognise that?" Keenan asked quietly. Keith contained his rage as best he could.

"Totally." Looking at the cave entrance, Alexa's eyes suddenly widened in horror.

"...what day is it today?" she asked hesitantly. Keith looked at the wide-eyed girl in confusion.

"Friday, why?" Keith's answer was not what she wanted to hear; she felt her hair standing on its end and her heart plummeting to her stomach as her eyes widened even more, if it was even possible.

"...oh, NO!" Shade held on for dear life as Alexa sprinted inside the cave entrance. Caught off guard, Keith and Keenan ran after her with their Pokémon.

"What's so special about Friday?" Keith asked loudly, hoping to attract Alexa's attention.

"It's an old rumour," Keenan began, panting. "Lapras, a rare Pokémon-"

"Almost endangered, yeah, I know 'em," Keith said abuptly.

"Are supposed to appear deep in the Union Cave every Friday," Keenan finished. "I think Jordan's after the Lapras."

"If there ARE any," Keith huffed as he struggled between preserving his breath and talking. Shade swang back and forth while clinging to Alexa's arm, but he almost enjoyed the feeling.

"I KNOW there are, I met MY Lapras here!" Alexa exclaimed defensively. She stopped to catch her breath, but looked around desperately, hoping she would find Jordan and his troupe before descending further into the cave. Before Keith could apologise to her, she continued deeper into the cave. Having to save his apology for later, he and Keenan followed after her, their Pokémon closely following.

Jordan, Andy and Gabby walked slowly inside the cave. The whole area was relatively dark, but not dark enough for the need of artificial illumination. The air felt cold, but not freezing. Docile Zubats hung upside down on the cave ceiling above them, dormant Geodudes lay curled up on the sidelines of the cave floor, and the wild Rattata were going about their business casually.

"STOP!"

Turning around, the poachers spotted Keenan and the two young Top Rangers running after them. Out of all three of them, Alexa seemed the most irate, if not panicky, while Keenan was surprisingly calm.

"Feeling better, are we, Keith?" Jordan asked, almost mockingly.

"No thanks to you," Keith replied snidely. Jordan nodded.

"What brings you three here?"

"I'd ask you the same thing, Jordan, but I already have a hunch," Alexa said spitefully. "You're after a certain Pokémon, aren't you?" Gabby scoffed.

"Can't say I know what you're talkin' 'bout, Pixie," she taunted.

"Lapras!" Keenan exclaimed. Andy feigned ignorance.

"Huh; guess you were right after all, Jordan."

"Uh..!" Keenan recoiled.

"Relax, kid, I didn't need confirmation," Jordan said calmly. "I already knew about Lapras."

"So you wasted all this time on purpose?!" Alexa asked interrogatively. Jordan simply shrugged in response.

"No wonder you weren't up to anything!" Keith yelled.

"You were waiting for it to be Friday to come and get Lapras!" Keenan shouted accusingly.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Captain Obvious!" Andy saluted sarcastically. The wild Pokémon nearby were beginning to stir; the argumentative exchange of words echoed throughout the cave, disturbing their slumber. They honed in on the confronting humans.

"You'd make a really good video game protagonist," Gabby said insultingly. Alexa held an arm in front of her brother. Shade waved casually at the young boy.

"Give him a break, he's 12!" she exclaimed. Jordan took a Poké Ball from his pocket and expanded it.

"Even so, I'm not going to let him – or you two – get in our way. With any luck, this place will be your tomb," he threatened.

"Now you're talking!" Andy said eagerly as he and Gabby each took a Poké Ball into their hand. Alexa saw the wild Pokémon closing in on them and motioned Shade up to her shoulder. The Sneasel climbed up her arm and keenly listened to what his Trainer had to say.

"Shade, I think Keith and I will be focused on the wild Pokémon if they try to attack," she said quietly. "Improvise, okay?"

"Sneasel," Shade replied, in high pitched gruff voice. Keith readied his styler, having noticed the wild Pokémon for himself, while Keenan took a Poké Ball from his pocket.

Almost at the exact same time, Jordan, Andy, Gabby and Keenan released their respective Pokémon; Aggron, Scrafty, Liepard and Ampharos. The Ampharos looked nervous and stroked the lilac scarf around his neck.

"Don't be nervous, Lucius, Iara's got your back!" Keenan said encouragingly. That said, Iara stepped forward, standing next to the nervous electric type. Shade hopped off of Alexa's shoulder and readily stood on the other side of Lucius, claws held in front of his face for a menacing look. Reese even stepped forward. Keith seemed reluctant at the thought of his partner Pokémon battling.

"Relax, Keith, Ryder's trained him, remember?" Alexa said gently. "Let them do their thing while we do ours." She readied her styler and almost stood back to back with her comrade. Keith nodded as both Rangers held out their arms.

"Capture ON!"

As the small spinning tops broke free from the stylers, the battle began. Liepard, eyes fixated on the runt of a Vaporeon, lashed out on Iara, upon which Iara countered with a large iron-hard tail slamming on the dark cat's neck.

Aggron's movements were sluggish, but was determined to battle against the quivering Ampharos. Lucius shook his head violently and confronted the brute looming over him. Buizel leapt towards Aggron from behind, both paws brimming in a brilliant white glow. Aggron took a deep breath, flames igniting in his mouth while Lucius's ears gathered static electricity. Aggron suddenly roared in pain as Reese slammed his paws in the back of its bulky neck. Aggron swatted Reese away, but was struck by a tremendous amount of electricity immediately afterwards. Reese skidded along the ground on his feet, relatively unharmed.

Shade and Scrafty exchanged punches at one another that always seemed to miss the target, Shade's fist frozen over, Scrafty's veiled in swirling green energy. Their punches always struck the environment around them, seldom striking each other. Scrafty occasionally blew brown bubblegum bubbles which popped almost immediately after blowing it up.

Alexa and Keith kept their focus on the wild Pokémon that dared to try and attack the battling Pokémon, calming them down as their stylers took effect. Keenan kept his eye on his Ampharos and Vaporeon while Andy and Gabby were becoming irritated that their Pokémon aren't doing as much damage to their opponents as they had expected. Jordan kept calm.

The battle raged on, and nobody had the advantage over the other. The number of wild Pokémon appearing decreased over time, but Alexa and Keith felt their arms aching after a while. Iara and Liepard were both covered with superficial cuts and bruises all over, Scrafty and Shade still couldn't land a hit on each other, and Aggron was still getting outnumbered by Reese and Lucius. Alexa and Keith were forced to recall their capture discs for the sake of their arms. Jordan began to lose patience and took out a black Poké Ball with yellow stripes on top.

"Well, this has gone on for longer than it needed to," he began, sounding as frustrated as he looked. "I wish I didn't have to resort to this so soon, but the Lapras are only here on Fridays."

With a pop, Jordan unleashed a tall tusked dragon Pokémon housed inside the Poké Ball. The black dragon sparkled upon exiting its designated Poké Ball. Raising its head, Haxorus roared loudly, sending every single wild Pokémon in the vicinity scurrying. Iara, Lucius and Reese hid behind Keith, Alexa and Keenan, and even Liepard and Scrafty hid behind their respective masters. Aggron backed away a little, but not necessarily out of fright. Shade was the only one unfazed at the beastly debut and stood tall, ready to fight if needed. Alexa and Keith braced themselves, stepping slightly in front of Keenan protectively.

"I only use my Haxorus if I'm either in a hurry or if I want something done quickly," Jordan explained coldly. "Haxorus."

"What're you up to?!" Keith demanded.

"False Swipe!" Jordan commanded.

Haxorus lowered his head and slashed the air with his tusks, sending a wave of air at the Rangers. Consequently, Alexa, Keith, Keenan, Lucius, Shade, Reese and Iara were knocked all the way across the cave, ending up in an alcove at the far end of the cave floor. As the group tried to regain their composure, Jordan and his crew walked over to the alcove, blocking the only possible exit. Haxorus stood loyally by his master as he looked around inside.

"Hm. Perfect. This will do," he said with approval.

"Ow..." Alexa sat up and glared nastily at her foes. "We won't let you get away..!"

"Aw, that's a shame. You will be," Gabby said snidely, bearing a cheeky grin on her face.

"Hope none of you are claustrophobic!" Andy mocked.

"Seal it," Jordan demanded plainly.

"NO!" Keith shot up like a dart and raced towards the entrance. Alexa pulled him back as Haxorus slammed his thick tail against the cave wall. Rocks poured from above the entrance, sealing the alcove entrance. There seemed to be no way out. Alexa, Keith and Shade tried desperately to shift the rocks, but they weren't moving an inch.

Aggron exhaled a large breath of icy cold air at the blockage, freezing the outer layer of rocks over. Gabby couldn't contain her excitement, and jumped up and down with glee.

"Whee-hee! Way to go, Jordan!" she cheered.

"That'll keep 'em for a while," Andy said with absolute satisfaction.

"Indeed. Let's go; the Lapras won't be here tomorrow." The Poachers recalled all of their Pokémon back into their respective Poké Balls and proceeded deeper into the Union Cave.

Lucius sat at the far end of the make-shift tomb, attempting to enhance his calm, as his tail provided the area with a source of light. Alexa and Keith backed away from the rock slide.

"N-no..." Alexa began to panic and hyperventilate. "No, no, no, no, no! They must've sealed it from the outside too!"  
"DAMNIT!" Keith shouted loudly, at the top of his lungs, with complete anger, kicking one of the rocks in frustration. "I thought we had them this time!"

"That means they'll get the Lapras!" Keenan panicked.

"N-no..." Seeing Alexa's distress, Shade tried harder to fight against the blockade, slashing rapidly with claws shining in a metallic grey colour.

Jordan, Andy and Gabby finally reached the very bottom of the Union Cave. What they saw was a breathtaking sight to behold; a whole pod of Lapras were swimming in the crystal clear lake, happy and content, communicating with one another through hums. Nobody noticed the lone Rattata with short whiskers approaching the waters edge for a drink. Gabby struggled to contain her excitement.

"Wha-ha-ha! It's so beautiful!" she exclaimed delightfully.

"Keep your panties on, Gabs, you'll make a trophy out of one soon," Jordan sighed. Gabby moaned out of pleasure, almost seduction.

"Uhh..! Can't wait..!" Andy gave Gabby a concerned glance.

"Your lust for gore worries me. Are you sure you're not insane?" Gabby winked at her red-headed ally.

"I'm perfectly content," she replied. Jordan released his Aggron from his Poké Ball and gave the Iron Armour Pokémon a nod. Aggron nodded back and dipped his tail into the cold water, sending a weak electrical current along with it. The Lapras felt the electricity coursing through their bodies as the paralysis got to them, including the bystander Rattata, who was merely drinking the water in the first place. She backed away as Jordan took the large rucksack off of his back and opened it in front of his crew.

"Leave none behind."

Shade flopped onto the rock out of sheer exhaustion, panting heavily with his little tongue sticking out. Alexa gently picked up the Sharp Claw Pokémon and held him in her arms as she moved further towards the back of the cave.

"There's got to be something we can do!" Keenan exclaimed.

"Have you got Mason or Logan with you?" Alexa asked. "Or even Kyle?" Keenan searched his Poké Ball collection, but only counted four out of six. He sighed.

"N-no...sorry, sis; must've forgotten them." Alexa tried to smile.

"How were you supposed to know this would happen?" she asked rhetorically, in as nice a tone as she could muster. Keith huffed.

"And it wouldn't have if they were caught sooner," he complained. Keenan and Alexa looked towards him in shock.

"Where did that come from?" Alexa asked.

"I'm just saying, you had nearly a week to stop them before today," Keith explained. Alexa was silent for a few moments before she scoffed.

"Are you seriously blaming ME for this?!" she asked, having taken offence to his words. Keith looked at her.

"I didn't say that," he said plainly.

"You didn't have to, it was the way you said it!" Alexa exclaimed. Keenan began to worry.

"Guys..."

"I'm saying that maybe if you tried harder when you bumped into them while you were picking up my pills, we wouldn't have needed to get into this mess!" Keith shouted angrily, quickly standing up. Alexa shot up onto her feet and confronted Keith angrily, taking care not to choke her exhausted Sneasel.

"I was outnumbered, what the hell do you want from me!?" she questioned demandingly. Keenan became increasingly distressed, while Lucius struggled to keep calm.

"Guys..!"

"It's not about what I want, it's about what's expected of you as a top ranking Top Ranger!" Keith shouted furiously. Alexa shook her head and pointed at him.

"Don't you start banging on about professionalism when you were the one who let his anger cause him to almost drown!" she snapped viciously.

"Says the girl driven by her own feelings!" Keith roared in retaliation.

"STOP FIGHTING!" Keenan cried desperately. Both Rangers faced the tearful boy in confusion, which immediately turned into guilt; they realised their dispute had upset him. "It's not fair for you to blame each other for this! Y-you're Top Rangers, but you're not grown ups! Please...! Stop fighting about it...!" As Keenan began sobbing, Alexa's heart sank. She sighed remorsefully as she approached her younger brother. She sat next to him and gently pulled him closer to her, his head ending up on her shoulder.

"Keenan... I'm sorry," she apologised quietly. "I didn't mean to upset you." Keith felt just as guilty and sat next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Me neither. I'm sorry, mate," he said softly. Keenan's sobs died and turned into small sniffles as he felt the comfort from both Keith and, in particular, Alexa. Keith and Alexa faced one another over Keenan. "Alexa? I'm sorry for what I said."

"No...you were right," Alexa sighed. "I'm sorry for what I said to you, though." Keith shook his head.

"Don't be. You had a point." Keenan lifted his head from Alexa's shoulders and rubbed his eyes as he tried to calm down. Alexa smiled sweetly at him.

"You okay?" she asked. Keenan smiled at her and nodded. Alexa's smile grew as she stroked his hair a little before pecking a kiss on his head. "I think we should try to get out of here, don't you?" she asked as she looked at Keith.

"Yeah, definitely," he agreed as all three of them stood up onto their feet. Noticing the light in the room was fading, Alexa and Keenan turned their attention to Lucius; his hands were on his head and he had a faint red aura around him. He struggled even further to contain his rage.

"Lucius?" Keenan asked worriedly. The Ampharos opened his glowing red eyes quickly and bounced onto his feet.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!" he bellowed as he ran towards the blockage, thrashing his arms and tail about as he ran. The randomly placed attacks all struck the blockage, eventually smashing them to smithereens. As soon as the bodily glow faded, Lucius staggered about, fatigued and confused. Keith was confused, but the siblings were dumbfounded.

"Wow. Lucius learned Outrage," Keenan observed.

"Who'd have thought that?" Alexa questioned.

"Not me."

"Let's go!" Keith exclaimed, racing out to freedom. Iara, Reese and Alexa chased after him, as did Keenan after returning Lucius to the safety of his Poké Ball.

Alexa led the boys, and Iara, to the deepest part of the cave, but upon discovering a distinct lack of even a lone Lapras, they felt disappointed.

"D-do you think they got away?" Keenan asked, wishing they had.

"I can't tell," Keith replied. He, too, wished they escaped, but, as he stated, there was no obvious way to tell whether or not they escaped. Alexa heard moaning and straining as a paralysed Rattata made her way onto the scene. Pitying the little rat, Alexa took out a round green berry from her pocket, crouched down and held the berry in her palm and out towards the little Pokémon. Keith and Keenan both saw her in the act.

"What're you doing?" Keith asked.

"Trying to help this Rattata," Alexa replied quietly, as to not scare off the paralysed Pokémon. Everyone remained silent as Rattata approached Alexa's hand and sniffed the healing berry placed upon her palm. She took the berry in her mouth and backed a little from Alexa's hand as she sat down and took the berry in her front paws. While she ate the berry, Alexa looked up at Keith and Keenan.

"She's paralysed. There aren't any Pokémon here capable of paralysing others, so I'm assuming she saw Jordan here," she explained.

"Interesting bit of deduction," Keith complimented. Rattata finished her berry, which healed her paralysis completely. Alexa looked at the cheerful Pokémon, dreading the question she had to ask.

"Do you know what happened here?" she asked politely. Rattata considered walking back to where she came from, but given Alexa took the time to help her when she could've ignored her, she decided to help Alexa in return.

As Rattata regaled her version of events to Alexa, Keenan and Alexa both felt horrified and gutted. Keith, however, couldn't understand a word that was being said; all he heard was "Rattata". But, judging from Keenan's reaction, Keith assumed Rattata's tale wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Alexa sighed as soon as the story was over.

"What happened?" Keith asked.

"The Lapras were stolen," Keenan translated, turning a long story short.

"Damn," Keith whispered spitefully. Alexa petted Rattata on the head and smiled feebly at her.

"Thanks, Rattata, you were a big help," she said kindly.

"Rattata!" Rattata smiled in return, thanking the girl for the berry. Alexa stood up and faced the boys as Rattata ran off, returning to her business.

"What do we do now?" Keenan asked worriedly. Alexa looked towards the empty lake with disappointment.

"There's nothing we can do for now," she sighed. "Let's just get out of here." Without question, everyone vacated from the lake.

Throughout the journey out of the Union Cave, nobody dared to speak up; everyone was far too disappointed in their failure to save a pod of an endangered species of Pokémon from poachers. Everyone even avoided eye contact with one another. Alexa still held her Sneasel in her arms and Iara rubbed her head against Keenan's leg. Keenan petted her in return, but felt ashamed of himself, as did Alexa and Keith.

The group finally exited the Union Cave, and saw that the sun was setting over the horizon, giving the sky a beautiful orange glow. Everyone noticed Jordan's Jeep was no longer parked outside the Pokémon Centre. Keith finally sighed.

"I-If we hadn't fought back there, we'd have done something about this sooner," he said regretfully.

"Don't start that again..!" Keenan pleaded.

"No. He's right," Alexa admitted, placing a hand on her brother's head. "We should've known better...I'm sorry, Keith..."

"I'm sorry, too, Alexa," Keith apologised in return. The Pokémon looked at one another with worry during the awkward silence between the three humans.

"...now what?" Keenan piped up quietly.

"L-let's just go home..." Alexa said quietly, almost in a whisper. The group silently walked away from the Union Cave, destined for Violet City.

Andy drove the Jeep along a forest path, extremely happy with the day's outcome. Jordan lay in the back of the Jeep, with a cigarette hanging in the corner of his mouth. Gabby stood up in the passenger's seat and held her arms up, euphoric of their achievements.

"Whoo-hoo!" she rejoiced. She sighed contentedly as she sat back down. "That was exciting!"  
"Not to mention satisfying!" Andy agreed. Jordan opened one eye.

"You DO realise those kids WILL break out, right?" he asked grumpily.

"We know," Andy shrugged. Gabby turned around and looked at Jordan with a grin.

"But seeing as we haven't seen them since Haxorus and Aggron sealed them in the alcove, I don't think it matters," she added, looking towards the rucksack in the far corner of the Jeep.

"No. It doesn't," Jordan agreed. He took his cigarette from his mouth and blew out smoke as he scoffed. "Top Rangers, my ass. They're both amateurs..."

"Any new targets in mind, Jordan?" Andy asked curiously. Despite his question, he didn't appear to be eager to find a new catch so soon after the prize they claimed in the Union Cave.

"Nah, not right now," Jordan said casually. Andy nodded.

"Are we gonna need some more Poach Balls, Jordan?" Gabby asked with curiosity. Jordan looked at the rucksack for a moment.

"I'll need to check the leaflet for how many times each Poach Ball can be used, but another crate of 'em can't hurt," he answered. "And, yes, Gabby, you can make a trophy out of one of the Lapras." Gabby moaned seductively.

"Uhh, yes...!"

Keith, Alexa and Keenan finally arrived at the Thorndyke residence, where Hayden, Ian and Lily sat at the kitchen table having their own conversation. There were no Pokémon to be seen in the sitting room, however. Keith and Alexa said nothing to the adults and walked up the stairs, without so much as a glance. Keenan stayed behind and faced his parents and grandfather worriedly as Iara lay down on the sitting room carpet.

"What happened, are you all okay?" Lily asked worriedly. Keenan shook his head.

"No. We found Jordan in the Union Cave, but we couldn't save the Lapras in time," he explained bluntly, sitting himself down on one of the armchairs.

"Of course! It's Friday, why didn't I think of that?" Ian questioned, smacking himself on the forehead. "I should know this..!"

"What do you mean, couldn't save the Lapras in time?" Hayden asked with concern.

"We were trapped in an alcove," Keenan sighed. "We were sealed in. Lucius broke us out, but when we got to the lake, the Lapras were gone...before we broke out, Alex and Keith had a fight over it, blaming each other for not catching Jordan sooner..."

"Oh, this is getting out of hand..!" Lily stressed.

"They'll cope," Ian said calmly.

"Dad, they blamed each other! How can you say they'll cope?" Hayden asked, baffled at Ian's calm temperament.

"They'll realise neither is to blame for the Lapras," Ian smiled.

"But all this is getting to them real bad!" Keenan exclaimed with concern. "I really hope they don't break up because of it..."

"They won't, it's hardly grounds for terminating a relationship," Ian said reassuringly. Lily looked up the flight of stairs.

"I hope you're right," she said worriedly.

_To be continued..._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – Tensions**

Reese and Robbie slept peacefully on Alexa's bedroom floor, huddled up together near the far corner. Xavier, Skywing and Ryder also slept together, near Robbie and Reese. Xavier slept sitting up, his back leaning against the wall behind him and his arms resting on his stomach. Ryder slept next to him, curled up in a similar manner to how a dog sleeps at night. Skywing slept roosting on Xavier's head. Shade slept on top of the oak canopy over Alexa's bed, lying on his back with one arm over his stomach. Alexa and Keith lay under the plush duvet with their backs against each other. They were on opposite sides of the bed, rather than being close together, both wide awake. Alexa looked at the digital alarm clock next to her; the display read 01:27 in a bright LED light. Neither knew the other was asleep, but they remained silent.

Lupin sat outside on Alexa's balcony. He sat cross-legged with his arms relaxed in front of him as he looked up at the full moon high up in the sky. The moon was the brightest thing in the sky, and it reflected in the Alakazam's eyes. He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs as he stared at the beautifully glowing moon above. The small amulet around his neck shone in the moonlight, revealing it to contain a silver powdery substance of some kind. Lupin lowered his head and sighed, as if in mourn.

The morning was just as beautiful as the night; the sun beamed all over the land, without a single cloud in the vivid blue sky to veil its beauty. Darcy stood outside the detached house, casually grazing at the fresh green grass as Keenan gently stroked a brush over her well-groomed coat. Iara lay in Darcy's shadow, sound asleep. Keenan smiled, but, to him, it felt forced; his sister's argument with her companion yesterday caused him to worry about the potential rift in their relationship. He had to shake his head to try and exile the worry from his mind as he groomed his Rapidash.

Indoors, the concern was more obvious; Hayden, Lily and Ian sat at the kitchen table over mugs of coffee, discussing the Rangers' morale, or lack thereof, after seeing how isolated and distracted they appeared to be. The parents showed the most concern.

"Look, we could call the professor and let them know this might be too much for them to handle," Lily suggested.

"The only reaction you'll get is the professor claiming you to be an over-bearing parent," Ian said bluntly.

"Dad! Look, maybe Lily has a point; if we tell him that all this poaching malarkey has caused a rift between Keith and Alexa, he might react in a more appropriate manner apart from calling us over-bearing parents," Hayden elaborated.

"I know you're concerned – I am, too – but he obviously chose them to handle the case," Ian began. "He wouldn't have if he felt they weren't up for the task."

"Have you considered that perhaps Professor Hastings might be wrong in that decision?" Lily sighed. "I don't doubt their skills – that's the last thing I'd do – but they're kids!"

"Keith's 18, he's hardly a kid," Ian sighed.

"He's under 20, so that still counts," Lily said defensively. "Look," she sighed. "If there's going to be a rift between them, their ability to cooperate will, as a result, be jeopardised if they carry on."

"The solution's easy; one of them stays put while the other one goes out," Ian stated. "The time apart would do them good."

"They've already been apart, Dad," Hayden moaned.

"Yes, but there wasn't a breach in their trust, was there?" Ian asked rhetorically. "There's a difference."

"Do you really think that'd work?" Lily asked. Ian smiled at his daughter-in-law kindly.

"Absolutely," he confirmed. "They can use the time apart to think about what happened yesterday, and the events that transpired along the way. They'll soon realise they shouldn't blame each other for something beyond their control."

"I hope you're right...they're both getting worked up over their constant failures to arrest those poachers," Lily said worriedly. "It's seriously damaging their morale and another pair of Rangers might have to take over if things keep going like this..." Hayden nodded in agreement.

The adults heard the stairs creaking as Alexa and Keith slowly walked down them, Alexa in front of Keith, both shoddily dressed in their uniforms and rather sleep deprived. The adults could tell neither one had a good night's sleep as soon as they looked at the kids.

"Gosh, are you all right?!" Lily asked in shock.

"I'm fine," Alexa replied slowly. "I just..." Her sentence was cut off as a yawn crept up on her. She politely held a hand over her mouth as she yawned. "...didn't get much sleep."

"Same...apparently," Keith said groggily.

"You're not seriously letting yesterday get to you, are you?" Hayden asked worriedly.

"We let a whole pod of an endangered species fall into Jordan's hands; that's a big failure, Dad," Alexa replied tiredly.

"Which wouldn't have happened if we hadn't fought back there," Keith stated, almost glaring at Alexa, who turned to face him somewhat angrily. Her tiredness restricted her ability to show her feelings properly.

"Which you started, blaming me for the whole thing," she countered.

"I wouldn't have had to say anything if you managed to actually TRY to catch them while I was sick!" Keith exclaimed. Sensing an argument, Ian buried his eyes in his palm and shook his head.

"I've already said my piece about that..!" Alexa said spitefully.

"Aren't you supposed to be the one to adapt to new situations?!" Keith asked accusingly. Alexa somehow felt more wide awake and stared at him angrily.

"One Trainer with three Pokémon against three other Trainers and potentially eighteen Pokémon between them?! How was I supposed to adapt to THAT?!"

"That shouldn't have stopped you from picking up from where I left off!" Keith shouted. Lily looked out of the window worriedly, but felt only a little reassured when she noticed Keenan hadn't shown any reaction to the argument taking place near the kitchen. She doubted he could hear the confrontation, which set her mind at ease slightly.

"What, wrapped up in poisonous tentacles and held thirty feet underwater?! Yeah, great place to pick up from!" Alexa shouted sarcastically.

"Oh, how WAS the inside of Victreebel, by the way?!" Keith retorted with the same sarcasm. Alexa growled furiously at him.

"Hey, pack it in, the pair of you!" Hayden shouted firmly. He was frustrated, but couldn't help but worry when he saw the two Rangers who were supposed to be lovers glaring angrily at one another. His only consolation was that they had – for the present – stopped arguing. Lily felt anxious; either one of them could start again at any moment. The sight and the thought almost brought tears to her eyes. Ian sighed as he raised his head.

"Look, we thought that perhaps you shouldn't be on duty together for now," he said calmly. "It'll only make things worse at this stage."

"That's fine," Keith said, clearly trying to restrict his rage. "I'll fly solo today. Seeing as how SOMEONE couldn't get anything done on her own." Alexa scoffed.

"Are you for real?! I was getting YOUR prescription, you jerk!" she snapped.

"Could've stopped them as well, y'know," Keith said rudely. Alexa's anger only grew, but her eyes began to water, having taken great offence to the harsh words she received. She raced up the stairs, tears flying out of her eyes as she turned her head away from Keith. Lily couldn't sit there any longer and followed her distressed daughter up the stairs. Hayden and Ian were mutually unimpressed.

"Why did you have to say that?" Ian asked crossly. Keith looked at the two men, but was met with identical looks of toned down anger.

"What?"  
"You know what," Hayden replied. "You could've died if Iara and Ronan hadn't dived in to save you!" he shouted. Ian held his son's arm, hoping to calm him down.

"W-well she should've tried harder to stop Jordan while I was ill!" Keith pouted. Ian sighed.

"Keith, she saw you being pulled under by a Pokémon that ordinarily kills whatever it grabs; how did you expect her to react, happily?! Quite frankly, you had a lucky escape, pal!"

"She cares about you, but you seem to blame her for you being ill in the first place," Hayden said with concern.

"What?! I do not blame her for my illness! I just think she could've done better!" Keith exclaimed.

"Could you?" Ian asked, raising an eyebrow. "A Ranger with two non-battling Pokémon against three Pokémon Trainers?" Keith kept quiet; it was a prospect he hadn't considered.

Alexa stormed into her bedroom and slammed the door behind her, catching the previously sleeping Sneasel off guard. He peeked over the canopy and saw Alexa almost ripping her jacket off and flinging it at the curtains on the other side of the room. He felt worried when she held her hand over her eyes. Lily quietly entered the room and carefully approached Alexa.

"Are you all right?" she asked sweetly.

"No," Alexa whimpered sadly in response. "What's gotten into us...?!"

"Oh, sweetheart...!"

"But h-he's right! That makes it worse...!"

"Right about what?" Lily asked delicately, stroking Alexa's hair.

"I-I should've tried harder, but I didn't..!" Lily pulled Alexa closer to her and held her softly. Alexa wrapped her arms around her mother and began to cry.

"You were right as well, sweetie. Three and potentially eighteen against one and three; how could anyone adapt against those odds?" She remained quiet and allowed Alexa to cry as much as she needed to in her loving arms. It didn't take long for her sobs to die into mere sniffles. "But I'm going to agree with your grandfather and say you should stay behind for a while," Lily said quietly as she looked her daughter eye to eye. "Maybe being on your own will help you two to think about yesterday's argument and what to say when you're ready to make up," she smiled as she gently wiped the remaining tears from Alexa's eyes. "Okay?"

"Y-yeah," Alexa agreed sadly. "I should try talking to Lupin anyway." Lily lost her smile and shook her head.

"No. No, I don't think that's a good idea, honey, talking about her is the last thing you should do right now," she said with concern.

"If I don't start now, I don't know when I will," Alexa said, looking away from Lily. "I won't be trying to all day if that's what you're worried about; I just want to start." Lily took a moment to think; Lupin had been lingering around the house aimlessly for almost a week and Alexa was yet to do anything with him. But she considered the potential consequences of talking about a very sensitive subject to a Pokémon who shows no respect for his trainer while already in an unstable state of mind; they wouldn't be good. She sighed.

"Okay. But if you feel even the slightest bit upset, I want you to stop. I don't want you to be even more upset because of Lupin," she cautioned kindly.

"I won't," Alexa promised. Lily smiled.

"That's my girl. Were you about to get changed?"

"No sense in wearing my uniform if I'm housebound," Alexa sighed. Lily planted a gentle kiss on Alexa's forehead.

"Don't think of it like that, sweetie. Come on, let's see what you can wear today. It's actually really nice out," she said optimistically.

"I, uh...I hadn't thought of that," Keith confessed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Ian smiled a little.

"I thought not."

"Alexa can adapt to new situations quickly, but the last thing she is when it comes to Pokémon battles is a fool," Hayden began. "She knows when a battle is either won or lost, and, quite frankly, three against possibly eighteen would most definitely result in the latter."

"You've not known any Pokémon Trainers before Alexa, have you?" Ian asked curiously. Keith looked away from the two men.

"N-no..."

"It's no easy feat," Ian continued. "Regardless of your reason for being one. It's a lot of responsibility to put on a ten year old, which is the age when one can start being a Trainer legally. You have to train your Pokémon to battle and you have to take care of them health wise, both before and after battle. Alexa has done this 38 times over, and has several other Pokémon that are yet to battle. Not to mention she has 32 regional gym badges to prove her ability as a Pokémon Trainer. Before you say you could've done better, consider what I just said."

Keith's attention turned to the stairs when he heard Lily and Alexa returning to the ground floor of the house. Alexa wore a tasteful green T-shirt and blue denim shorts with white running shoes, as well as her emerald choker necklace around her neck.

"Alexa?"

"Not now, I want to find Lupin," Alexa said, walking passed him. Keith gently grabbed her arm and stopped her. She looked at him, rather annoyed.

"No, listen. Please." Alexa noticed the look of regret on his face, but showed no reaction to it. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm still sour about yesterday."

"You guess?" Alexa questioned suspiciously.

"All right, I KNOW I'm still sour about yesterday. I'm sorry I took it out on you."

"I'm sorry for what I said, too," she apologised. "I was out of order. Can you let me go now, please, so I can find my Alakazam?" Keith, still concerned about the thought of her being angry with him, even though he wouldn't blame her if she was, reluctantly released her arm, allowing her to walk outside. He ran to the front door and exited the house before the door closed behind her. Lily sighed.

"They're apologising to each other, but they're not forgiving each other," she noted worriedly.

"They will when they realise neither of them is at fault," Ian said reassuringly.

"I think we should help them realise that," Hayden suggested.

"Nah, leave them to it," Ian smiled. "It's for them to work out."

Keenan was still brushing Darcy's coat by the time Alexa approached him. Nearby, most of the Pokémon were enjoying the sunshine. Ryder crouched in front of Reese, with his paws held out in front of him. Reese was busy punching at Ryder's paws while Robbie watched with intrigue. Skywing was engaged in a delightful conversation with Xavier, Jonah and Clarice. Keith caught up with Alexa.

"Keenan, you haven't seen Lupin anywhere by any chance, have you?" she asked.

"On the roof," Keenan said bluntly. Alexa looked up on the red-tiled roof and spotted the very Pokémon she sought lying contentedly on his back, with his hands rested against the back of his head. The amulet around his neck sparkled in the sunlight.

"Oh."

"You and Keith argued again, didn't you?" Keenan asked hesitantly. Alexa looked at her brother awkwardly.

"Y-yeah...our failures are really getting to us," she said feebly. Keenan lowered his brush and faced the two teens; he was as concerned as he was anxious.

"But why blame each other?!" he asked. "You're trying your best!"

"Heat of the moment, I guess," Keith assumed. Keenan looked puzzled.

"He means that we don't think there's anyone else to blame for our failures," Alexa explained. Keith nodded. Keenan looked sad. Darcy raised her head and looked back at her young master with concern.

"Please don't fight... I don't want you to hate each other..." Keith and Alexa were mildly shocked.

"Hate each other?!" Keith asked.

"What?! We're not going to hate each other!" Alexa exclaimed. Keenan wasn't entirely convinced.

"I hope not..." Oblivious to the young humans, the Pokémon stopped their enjoyment and looked between each other, exchanging mutual glances of worry. Ryder was especially worried for the couple. The awkward silence lasted for what felt like an hour, and, during that time, Xavier kept an evil eye on Keith, who was the first to break the silence.

"I-I'll just go and patrol now," he said nervously.

"Mind if I come along?" Keenan asked.

"I dunno," Alexa said hesitantly.

"I'll look out for him," Keith offered. Xavier raised an eyebrow at the offer, but Ryder was curious about Alexa's shaky trust for the boy who supposedly had won her heart months ago. Alexa looked away from Keith, considering whether or not to allow Keith his support. She ultimately sighed, as if she would regret her decision later.

"Okay," she said. "Don't let anything happen to him. Even with his Pokémon, Keith, you'd still be outnumbered, so don't jump the gun," she cautioned.

"I promise," Keith said. Alexa nodded, but was secretly unsure if she could hold his words for what they were worth. Keenan climbed up onto Darcy's back as Iara lifted herself off of the grass, stretching herself as she moved. She jumped up onto Darcy's back, just behind Keenan, before she began to stroll away with Keith. Reese and Robbie looked at one another in confusion. Reese pointed to Keith, but Robbie shook his head. Reese nodded and tapped the Deerling's neck before running to his partner. Robbie lay back down on the grass as Xavier sprinted passed him, running after Keith and Darcy along with Reese.

"Guys, wait up!" Xavier called. Keith and Darcy had just left the city when the Zoroark caught up to them. Reese kept up brilliantly.

"You coming too?" Keenan asked curiously. Xavier glared at Keith angrily.

"Yeah, I wanna have a word with my gal's supposed soul-mate," he said rudely.

"Oh, good grief...!" Keith complained.

Alexa took a deep breath and turned to face the sunbathing Lupin on the roof. The Pokémon nearby watched with anticipation. Ryder and Skywing were concerned.

"Lupin! Can you come down here, please, I need to talk to you!" Alexa called. Lupin sighed, but remained in his position. "It's important!"

"Kazam," Lupin huffed, waving a hand away from her.

"Ouch...!" Ryder said quietly.

"At least Keenan wasn't around," Skywing whispered. Ryder nodded in agreement.

"Lupin, you can't ignore me forever!" Alexa yelled, brushing off Lupin's remark entirely. "We need to talk about this!"

"Kazam," Lupin scoffed. Alexa looked up at him angrily as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I see how it is. You want to risk sunburn if it means you can ignore me? Sounds like a stupid idea for a Pokémon with an IQ of 5000," she grumbled.

At the corner of her eye, she spotted a large round boulder nearly placed further up the garden. There was a blue plastic flower graciously placed on the very top of the boulder. She looked between the flower and Lupin, and developed an idea. Lupin watched her as she approached the rock casually and took the flower in her hand. Lupin reacted quickly and disappeared in a flash. He reappeared next to Alexa and rudely snatched the flower off of her. Alexa watched angrily as Lupin carefully replaced the flower back to its original position.

"How else was I supposed to get your down from there?! You just LOVE making things complicated, don't you?!" she snapped. Lupin faced her furiously.

"Kazam! Alakazam!"

"I'm being immature?! You're the one that's been in denial for the past seven years!" Alexa yelled.

"Ala-KAZAM!" Lupin retaliated. "Alakazam!"

"I'm trying to talk to you about it, but you keep trying to ignore me or run away from me!" Alexa shouted. Noticing her tone to be shaky, Ryder and Skywing rushed over to her. Ryder grabbed her arm gently.

"Hey, take it easy, Alex, it's too soon for this," he said softly. Alexa nodded, beginning to agree with him. Skywing fluttered in front of Lupin and faced him furiously.

"You're making her worse, now move along, Lupin!" he demanded.

"Kazam...!"

"NOW!" Skywing squawked. Lupin eventually complied and walked away from Alexa and away from the boulder. Clarice, Jonah and Robbie approached worriedly as Skywing faced her. Alexa tried not to cry, but tears threatened to escape her already sore eyes.

"Thanks, Ryder, Skywing. Mum was right," she admitted. "Talking to Lupin would make me feel worse..."

"Alexa, my dear, we couldn't help by overhear your earlier conversation," Skywing said solemnly as Alexa noticed Robbie, Jonah and Clarice approaching from behind her. "Is what the young master said true?"

"That you and Keith are fighting?" Ryder asked worriedly, ears flopped down on either side of his head. Alexa sighed.

"We were," she confessed. "We were blaming each other for yesterday's failure..." Skywing nodded.

"Shade informed us all," he sighed.

"Except for Mr Smiles over there," Ryder added, looking slightly towards Lupin, who had returned to his original position on the roof of the Thorndyke residence. "Xavier's pretty mad, though; he assumed Keith was a nice guy."

"He IS!" Alexa exclaimed. She recoiled quickly, as if to reconsider her answer. "W-well...was...I dunno, this whole thing with Jordan is screwing us over..." Skywing smiled reassuringly as he sat on top of Ryder's head.

"We're all ears, Alexa. You can talk to us."

"But I don't want to talk to you!" Keith exclaimed furiously. Xavier kept an eye on the irate Ranger, while Keenan watched him with worry. Darcy snorted; she seemed to be the only one concentrating on the path ahead. By now, they were well away from Violet City – or any other city, in fact – with nothing but trees, bushes and timid wild Pokémon hiding within all around them. Reese was trying to focus on his path, but Keith's attitude worried him. He counted Robbie fortunate he didn't have to hear Keith arguing with a Pokémon.

"You don't know me well, but I can be a real pain in the patooie if you push the right buttons," Xavier growled. "Now I'm not going to stop bugging you until you tell me why you're being such an arrogant Piplup and blaming Alex for-"

"If I tell you, will you shut your muzzle long enough for me to tell you?!" Keith asked rudely.

"Keith..."

"It's okay, little dude," Xavier said reassuringly to Keenan. "Hit me, bro." Keith sighed.

"I just said that if she tried harder to stop Jordan than she did while I was ill, yesterday wouldn't have happened!" he explained.

"And that's HER fault, is it?" Xavier asked interrogatively, folding his arms.

"Well, I suppose," Keith shrugged. Keenan almost gasped in horror.

"I can't believe you just said that!" he cried. Iara shook her head with disappointment. Xavier took a more casual approach.

"Especially considering that nobody told you to run onto that pier," he stated. Keith's eyes widened, but retained his fury.

"So you're saying yesterday was MY fault?!"

"Not yesterday, just your cold," Keenan said quietly. Keith groaned loudly.

"I already told Hayden I wouldn't blame Alexa for my illness!" Xavier moaned and began to knock his fist on the top of Keith's head.

"For crying out loud, use your noggin!" he roared. Keith rubbed his head as he glared at the Illusion Fox Pokémon. "If you hadn't run out onto the pier, you wouldn't have nearly drowned and you wouldn't have been ill! Consequently, you would've been able to HELP Alex with Jordan days ago! Yesterday probably woud've happened anyway!"

"Yeah, Jordan said he already knew about the Lapras, so we would've probably had our encounter yesterday, illness or no illness," Keenan added, agreeing with Xavier completely.

"Yeah...I can see what you mean, Skywing," Alexa mused. She and the Pokémon sat in a circle, with Robbie partly on her lap, Skywing in the middle of the circle and Ryder next to her right hand side. Jonah was directly in front of her with Clarice just behind Robbie.

"But you're still worried that he's going to blame you?" Ryder questioned. Alexa sighed as she continued to stroke the Winter Form Deerling's head. Despite looking depressed, Robbie seemed to enjoy her touch.

"Keith seemed convinced of it," she said sadly.

"I don't believe you should worry; the situation was beyond your control," Skywing smiled. "Neither of you is to blame, my dear."

"Yeah, if he loves you like he says he does, he'll come to that conclusion, too!" Ryder added optimistically, his tail wagging wildly behind him.

"I hope he will...I..." Alexa looked up at the sun in the sky, taking care to not look directly into the sun itself. "I don't want to lose him..."

"And I'm certain Keith feels the same way about you," Skywing said, moving from the grass to her knee. He kept his smile as Alexa looked down at him again. "It's merely because of those poachers that you're going through this rough patch."

"Yeah, you two are really good at this romance stuff," Ryder complimented cheerfully.

"Nobody says it's easy either," Skywing added. Alexa blushed slightly.

"It's not, but if you can accept and appreciate each other's differences, things should be fine," she said modestly. Skywing nodded.

"Intriguing."

"I think you and Keith are gonna be just fine," Ryder grinned.

"I hope you're right, Xavier," Keith sighed, hanging his head in shame. Xavier's anger faded and he carried a cheerful smile on his face, which seemed out of place on a Dark type Pokémon.

"Hey, from what Ryder told me, the two of you are closer than anything," he said happily. "If the love you feel for her is real, you two will get over this."

"Of course it's real!" Keith exclaimed defensively.

"There you go then!" Xavier said simply. Hope reignited in Keenan's heart as he smiled.

"Does this mean you'll stop blaming her for yesterday?" he asked wishfully. Keith smiled nervously at the young rider.

"Yeah. I have a lot to apologise for," he replied. "I just hope she hears me out..."

"She will," Keenan nodded. He suddenly felt Darcy randomly stopping in her tracks, her gaze fixated straight ahead of her. Keenan, Keith and Xavier looked at the Fire Horse in confusion. "Darce?"

"What's gotten into you?" Xavier asked. Darcy lowered her head, as if to point straight ahead of her. What everyone saw left them with mixed feelings; they saw none other than Jordan, Andy, Gabby and what looked like a Conkeldurr gathered around something in the distant clearing in front of them. Their Jeep was parked nearby.

"Right...!" Keith sprinted towards the clearing, Darcy, Xavier and Reese running just as fast to keep up with him.

"HEY!" Keith shouted furiously as he sped into the clearing, closely followed by the Pokémon. The clearing around them was relatively quiet and well-preserved, with the small exception of tyre tracks that ruined the otherwise untouched area of land. Jordan, Andy and Gabby turned to face their foes, revealing to have been standing around an open crate of compacted Poach Balls. Its lid was just left there on the grass a few metres away. The Conkeldurr stood idly behind the box.

"Hello to you, too, Keith," Jordan said sarcastically.

"I have a bone to pick with you about yesterday!" Keith stated.

"And I haven't forgiven you for that Rock Tomb stunt from Day One either!" Xavier added. Gabby recognised the Zoroark.

"Aw, hey, Foxy's back!"  
"Big whoop," Andy said blandly, keeping his eye on the piece of paper in his hands. Gabby looked around, and only spotted two out of three meddling kids.

"Hey, where's Pixie?"

"Leave her alone, she's having the day off!" Keenan exclaimed protectively. Andy glanced up at the boy riding the Rapidash.

"Too scared to face us?" he asked mockingly.

"Distressed after yesterday, more like!" Xavier roared, subtly brimming in a dark aura. "Thanks to you, her morale's low!"

"Oh, well. If she's given up, that's up to her," Jordan shrugged. "But it won't look good for a so-called "Top Ranger" to throw in the towel so quickly."

"You'll regret those words!" Keenan yelled angrily.

Darcy reared back and neighed loudly before galloping towards Conkeldurr. Andy pulled Gabby away from Darcy's path while Jordan stayed perfectly still, showing no concern for the impending danger racing towards him. Andy and Gabby watched in awe as the Rapidash elegantly leapt over Jordan, the box of Poach Balls and even Conkeldurr. Darcy galloped around and faced them all from a different angle, scraping her hoof against the already tarnished grass. She snorted angrily. Iara was merely amazed she hadn't fallen off during the whole stunt. Andy and Gabby released their Arbok and Swanna respectively, causing Xavier and Reese to react immediately. Xavier's target was Arbok while Reese confronted the Swanna.

Keith stood there, bewildered; what was he supposed to do? Even Keenan was doing more than he was, and he's not even a Pokémon Ranger! Noticing how Andy, Jordan and Gabby were distracted with the battles that took place, Keith clenched his fist and ran straight for Jordan. As Keith held his fist back, ready for the punch, Jordan spotted him from the corner of his eye and faced him properly, catching the fist in his hand. Keith tried to pull his fist back, but Jordan's grip was too tight for him.

"Steady on. You don't want to be doing that," he said snidely. Keith glared at Jordan furiously.

"Yes, I do! Very, very badly!" Keith shouted. He soon felt his back hitting the ground below him and Jordan's arm pressed against his throat. Gabby's attention was drawn to her superior.

"Believe me. You don't," Jordan warned quietly. Reese tried to help Keith, but Swanna's long beak poked the little Buizel in the back, smacking him into the ground.

"Come on, Arbok, is that the best you can do?!" Andy exclaimed angrily as his Arbok constantly failed to land a hit on what appeared to be his doppelgänger. He was up against an Arbok with a darker purple skin and a chest marking completely different to his own; the darker skinned Arbok's crest had yellow and orange spiked eyes with a black pupil and a large grin in black and red, which was contrary to Arbok's crest, which had tear-drop shapes outlined in black, multiple fangs and a forked tongue. Arbok lunged at the fake Arbok, but was greeted with a pulse of dark rings fired from its gaping mouth.

Conkeldurr punched Darcy's neck with a giant fist, knocking her down and Keenan and Iara off of her back. Keenan and Iara composed themselves and realised how distracted everyone was. Keenan soon spotted the unguarded crate of Poach Balls; it looked big enough for him to fit in, with enough room to spare for Iara. The pair looked at one another and then back at the crate with intent; they had an idea.

_To be continued..._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – Rifts**

Hayden, Ian and Lily exited the house with a gentle and somewhat aged Gardevoir with a sapphire bangle around her left wrist. As Hayden locked the front door, Lily couldn't help but smile at the sight of Alexa surrounded by a group of caring Pokémon. But the sight of her daughter with a smile on her face was gratifying enough for her.

"Alexa?" she called. Alexa and the Pokémon turned their attention to her. "We're just going to Unova for several hours; Hailey's having a bit of a problem."

"One that takes all three of you?" Alexa asked quizzically.

"Hailey's probably overreacting, but we don't mind," Ian smiled. "Keenan gone with Keith?"

"Yeah," Alexa replied.

"I don't think we'll be back until around nightfall, so if he's back before then, can you let him know where we are?" Hayden asked.

"Certainly," Skywing said courteously. "You just have a safe trip." The Gardevoir stood in the middle of the adults with her delicate hands held over her heart.

"It'll only take seconds," Ian laughed.

"Take care, sweetie," Lily smiled. The Gardevoir's eyes shone briefly and she and the adults were literally gone in a flash.

"Huh; so that's how they got to Almia really quickly," Ryder muttered.

"Hey, if it saves them time, who's gonna argue?" Alexa laughed.

A wave of bright magenta energy flowed down the dark Arbok's serpentine body, revealing Xavier's true form as he sliced at Andy's Arbok with claws veiled in a sinister purple aura. The slash left a deep laceration just below the cobra's crest.

Reese was still trapped under the weight of Gabby's Swanna, who was pecking at his already bruised back. He glared up at the Swanna as his tails shone in a glow as white as the swan Pokémon's feathers. A translucent shock wave was released from the twin tails and superficially sliced across the Swanna's long and thin neck, causing her to stagger back. Reese struggled onto his feet as the glow from his tails spread all across his body. He turned around and tackled into Swanna's wound with unbelievable force. The Swanna screeched in agony as her wound worsened.

Conkeldurr tried and tried to slam his thick fist into Darcy, but the Rapidash proved too swift and agile for the bulky Pokémon. The punches always slammed into the grass underneath, leaving large dents, which ruined the battlefield even more. Darcy neighed as she charged towards the almost exhausted Conkeldurr, cloaked in her own fire. She slammed her shoulder into the Fighting type Pokémon, knocking him back, almost making him hit the open crate of Poach Balls.

Andy was losing his cool over the battles while Gabby was fixated on Jordan and Keith. Keith was still pinned to the ground, with Jordan's arm pressed against his throat.

"You have a lot of guts, kid, but you've got to know how to use them," Jordan whispered nastily. "If I were you, I'd quit all of this big man crap and leave it to the adults."

"I'm not scared of you..!" Keith choked out. He struggled to breathe as he felt Jordan pressing harder on his neck, making his legs flail a little. Jordan moved closer to Keith, giving him an evil glare.

"Keep this up and I'll give you a reason to be," he threatened quietly. Keith felt intimidated; all he could see was Jordan's evil glare. Jordan was so close to him, Keith saw his own reflection in the poacher's blood red eyes. And it wasn't a pretty sight.

While everyone was distracted in their own way, Keenan and Iara made their way to the crate of Poach Balls. They looked around to make sure nobody was looking before Keenan dropped Iara among the cruel Poké Balls. Now Keenan had to get himself inside the box; he held onto the top of the box and swung his legs over, landing him feet first inside the crate. And there he and Iara stayed.

"Jordan! Hate to break up your little rendezvous, but we're at a disadvantage here!" Andy exclaimed. Jordan lifted himself up from the frightened Ranger and looked around at how Reese, Darcy and Xavier were overwhelming their own Pokémon.

"Who cares? Call your Pokémon back and get in the Jeep! Conkeldurr, get the crate in the back! We're out of here!" he instructed. As Swanna and Arbok were recalled back into the safety of their Poké Balls, Xavier and Reese ran over to Keith and helped him onto his feet. Conkeldurr lifted the crate up effortlessly and dumped it in the back of the Jeep, slamming the lid on it to secure its contents. Darcy realised she couldn't see Keenan anywhere and looked around hastily, increasingly panicking. Keith and Xavier watched the poachers preparing to leave.

"Wait a minute, you can't just leave whenever you feel like it!" Xavier yelled. "We were just getting started!"

"We have bigger fish to fry," Jordan replied simply, returning Conkeldurr into his Poké Ball. "Rev it up, Andy!"

Before Keith and Xavier could protest, Andy started the engine and sped off, away from the once untouched clearing. Keith was frustrated that they escaped, but Darcy's panicked neighing and whimpers caught his and Xavier's attention. Keith ran over to the upset horse and tried to calm her down.

"Darcy! Hey, whoa, what's the matter?!" There were no reigns around Darcy's head, which made Keith wonder how to calm her down, as well as how Keenan could ride a horse Pokémon without the need for a set of reigns or a saddle on her back. "Yeesh...how does Keenan keep you under control?" Xavier suddenly realised what Darcy realised moments before and looked around quickly.

"Hey! Where IS he?!" Keith's eyes widened as he faced the horrified Zoroark.

"What?!"  
"Keenan! He's gone!" Xavier cried. He looked around again; there was another individual missing. "So's Iara!"

"Oh, no!" Keith cried in horror.

"No wonder Darcy's having kittens!" Xavier exclaimed. Keith gulped; Xavier's use of the word "kittens" made him think about Alexa, given his pet name for her. "KEENAN!"

"KEENAN!" Keith cupped his hands around his mouth and called out for the boy as loud as he could.

"KEENA-hang on..." Xavier's eyes widened and his pupils dilated a little. "...you don't think..?!" Keith turned pale, coming to what he believed to be the same realisation as Xavier.

"They kidnapped him while we were distracted?!" he questioned hesitantly. Xavier's ears dropped and his pupils dilated even more.

"...I was gonna say he went after them himself...thanks for giving me that imagery," he said sarcastically.

"Either way, Alexa's going to be pissed..."

Keenan and Iara stayed perfectly still inside the clutter of the diabolical Poké Balls, experiencing a very bumpy ride. Iara felt a little scared, not knowing where Jordan was unknowingly taking them. Keenan felt scared for the same reason, but his determination to get to the bottom of Jordan's reasons behind his poaching proved stronger than his fear of the unknown.

Andy pulled the Jeep up to the old and seemingly abandoned house outside the forgotten woodlands. He and Gabby sighed with relief.

"I never thought that would end," he said.

"I'm just glad to be out of Johto after that," Gabby sighed.

"Relax, Keith will get his," Jordan said calmly as he jumped out of the back of the Jeep. He released his Conkeldurr once more. "Get the crate to the basement," he ordered. With full compliance and no effort, Conkeldurr lifted the crate from the Jeep and walked indoors with it. Andy and Gabby exited the Jeep and followed Jordan into the lounge.

"What about the other two?" Andy asked. Jordan sat down in the isolated armchair and took the blue glass bottle from the small table nearby.

"Same applies to them," he said casually, pouring a small amount of light brown liquid into the glass that was once next to the bottle. "Chill out. There's plenty of time to get back at them. Heh; I say that, but we're the ones winning at the moment," he chuckled.

Conkeldurr slammed the crate down on the rancid basement floor before dragging himself up the stairs. As soon as the door to the basement closed, the crate's lid began to move. Keenan pushed the lid up and carefully set it down next to the crate. He and his Vaporeon companion climbed out of the box and, despite the contents of the crate being completely clean, brushed themselves down. Keenan looked around his new surroundings, but he could hardly make out any of the silhouettes all around the basement. He did, however, pick up the smell of blood and another distinct odour around the place.

"Where do we start?" he asked quietly.

"Absolutely, I'd be able to take you back to the island, no problem," Skywing smiled towards his Glaceon and Hydreigon friends. "I'll ask Shade if he wishes to return to the island as well."

"That's nice of you," Alexa smiled sweetly. "But are you sure you're up for making that flight today?"

"I'm always prepared for that flight, my dear," Skywing smiled in confirmation.

"ALEX!" Alexa stood up as she heard a distressed call from her Zoroark and, soon enough, spotted him and Darcy racing desperately towards her. Ryder stood up when he realised that Darcy's rider was Keith.

"Xavier? Keith? What's going on?" she asked.

"Jordan, that's what!" Keith replied in a panic. Alexa turned her attention to the restless Rapidash.

"Darcy's worked up..." Alexa's eyes widened and turned into anger as she realised something that should have been painfully obvious to her from the very start. "HEY! Where's Keenan?!" she asked demandingly.

"T-that's the problem!" Xavier panted. "Keith thinks Jordan kidnapped him." Alexa was left even more horrified than she had ever been since the moment she was afflicted with her unhealthy fear of her most iconic adversary. The Pokémon shot up and approached Alexa, horrified at the news. Keith glared at the panting fox.

"Xavier!"

"Hey, I said I thought Keenan went after them himself, okay?!"

"And you let this happen?!" Alexa shouted furiously at Keith.

"I didn't know what he was doing!" he cried. Alexa tried her hardest to contain her anger, but her hardest wasn't enough; her eyes seethed with the rage that boiled inside her blood.

"...you said you'd look out for him," she said quietly. "You promised me you would!" Keith was quick to revert to his anger-filled state of mind.

"Well excuse me for having Jordan breathing down my neck!" he shouted angrily.

"That wouldn't stop me from keeping an eye on my little brother!" Alexa yelled.

"You didn't want him to go in the first place!" Keith bellowed.

"I didn't, but he wanted to go and I THOUGHT he'd be safe in your care!" Alexa screamed furiously. The Pokémon began to worry; the argument between Keith and Alexa seemed more heated than before. The shouting attracted Lupin's attention as he watched from the roof.

"If you were in my position, you'd understand how hard it is to look at anything OTHER than the thug pinning you down!" Keith explained nastily.

"If I were in your position, I wouldn't just lie there and let him dominate me!" Alexa retaliated.

"Uh, guys...?" Ryder asked quietly.

"Shall we not do this here...?" Skywing suggested nervously.

"You really think you could do better! Don't make me laugh!" Keith stated mockingly.

"I'd be more vigilant, that's for sure!" Alexa snapped.

"I AM vigilant!" Keith shouted in self-defence.

"Says the Ranger who's just lost my twelve year old brother to a trio of poachers!" Alexa screamed furiously.

Keenan and Iara split up as they searched the dark and stinky basement. They were careful, as they couldn't find a means to light up the room, nor could they tell if there was anything dangerous down there. Keenan could identify the discarded cages scattered about; there were all in different sizes and conditions, some cleaner than others. He also saw dark squares around the room, which he assumed to be crates like the one he stowed away in. The difference was he couldn't tell what was inside them. He backed away into something soft, but smelly as he looked around and panicked a little. He saw the silhouette of what looked like a bear of sorts hanging upside down. But it wasn't the whole bear, as Keenan judged from what he felt; it was the bear's fur. Keenan became increasingly panicky the longer he was in the dark.

Iara was panicky from the start, slowly walking as she looked around. She bumped into what felt like a stag's leg and she looked up. She saw a large shadowy figure with empty eyes staring off into the distance. Iara whimpered as she scurried backwards quickly. Keenan tripped over her and crashed into the crate of Poach Balls. He fell to the ground, taking the crate down with him, which hit the ground with a loud thud.

Andy sat in one armchair, strumming a random tune on his black and orange guitar, Gabby was looking at Jordan in adoration while he just sat on the armchair opposite her, occasionally sipping from the glass of whisky. Their relaxation was cut short when they heard the loud thud from the basement. They were confused; they hadn't brought anything live back with them. Andy put his guitar down carefully and followed his allies to the basement.

Iara approached Keenan with concern as he stood up, rubbing his head. She looked at him apologetically. Keenan smiled as he petted his worried Pokémon.

"I'm all right," he said gently.

The lights suddenly flicked on, causing Keenan to have a moment of blindness as his eyes were forced to adapt to the lighting. While Iara was going through the same phase, Keenan could finally see the contents of the basement; he saw the cages he identified earlier on, he saw unmarked crates stained with dried blood, the Ursaring fur he encountered, the stuffed Sawsbuck Iara bumped into, a metal toolbox in one corner and the messy pile of Poach Balls scattered along the floor. He didn't notice Jordan, Andy and Gabby approaching him until Jordan spoke up.

"Well...what do we have here?"

"How the hell...?" Gabby was at a loss for words; she couldn't come up with the obvious conclusion as to how Keenan made it to their hideout undetected.

"Stowed away, I'll bet," Andy assumed.

"Now why did you do that?" Jordan asked. Keenan was forced to grow confidence, and fast; he was in the belly of the beast, so to speak, and there was no turning back now.

"So Keith and Alex can stop you once and for all!" he exclaimed. Andy raised an eyebrow.

"...because you stowed away here?"

"So they'll know where you are! I'm going to tell them so they can come get you!" Keenan declared. Gabby scoffed.

"Cute," she said rudely.

"But I have no intention on letting you leave," Jordan said as he picked up one of the new Poach Balls.

"What..?"

"I can't let a runt like you ruin my business," Jordan explained. "You'll be sticking around for a while.

"POR!" Iara leapt up at Jordan angrily. She felt a button slamming into her forehead, and she was absorbed into the evil capsule in the dark grey light before she could react. Keenan was horrified.

"Iara! What're you going to do to her?!" he asked interrogatively.

"Nothing," Jordan said simply. "She's worthless to me."

"Eevee and its evolutions ARE rare, though," Andy said quietly.

"Shut up," Jordan growled. He looked at Keenan again. "Now then...to deal with you." Keenan was backed into the corner and looked up at the poachers, Jordan in particular, with fear as to what they were going to do with him.

"Look, I didn't lose him, he could've gone after them on his own accord for all we know!" Keith said with frustration.

"That doesn't change the fact that he was YOUR responsibility!" Alexa snapped.

"Stop pinning this on me, dammit!" Keith demanded forcefully.

"He was in your care, the fault is down to you! I told you not to let anything happen to him, and then THIS happens!" Alexa cried crossly. The Pokémon behind her grew more concerned by the second, but Lupin showed no reaction."

"Shut up and listen to me!" Keith commanded with rage. "Keenan might've-"

"That makes no difference!" Alexa shouted abruptly. "He's going to be at Jordan's mercy anyway! How could you have let this happen!? Y-you tried to sock someone, didn't you!?" she yelled accusingly.

"Okay, yes, it was Jordan I tried to smack, but I didn't know what else to do!" Keith exclaimed. "I'm not a Trainer like you!"

"Does initiative ring a bell?!" Alexa asked mockingly. "Or is that thing on your arm for show?!" she added, pointing to Keith's Fine Styler. Keith scowled at her.

"Don't you get all hight and mighty with me like you think you can do better!" he countered.

"I would've kept my word and looked out for my brother!" Alexa screamed furiously.

"Hah!" Keith scoffed. "That would've been him doomed then; you couldn't even look out for your Butterfree, and look where THAT went!"

What happened next shocked the Pokémon, Ryder especially, to the core; without thinking, and without considering the consequences, Alexa threw a punch at Keith, landing just below his eye. Skywing covered his eyes as soon as her fist made contact. Keith yelped as he fell to the floor. Almost immediately afterwards, Alexa stepped back in horror, only just realising exactly what she had just done. She held her bruised fist as she looked at the wounded boy, the boy who was supposed to be her lover, hyperventilating and eyes wide in both horror and devastation. Keith, having realised the indescribably cruel words that spewed from his mouth like word vomit, was shocked at himself that he could even say that, even in such a fit of anger. He gently touched the bruise below his left eye and looked at his terrified attacker with heartache and fear in his eyes. Alexa looked away from Keith and cleared her throat ever so slightly.

"...Darcy. Stay here in case he comes back on his own," she said quietly, scared to talk any louder. Darcy nodded in compliance. "Xavier, help Skywing take Shade, Clarice and Jonah back to the island." Despite their worry for their dear Trainer, the Chatot and Zoroark nodded. "Ryder, you're with me. I just hope we can find him before Mum and Dad come back..!"

Ryder and Alexa ran off, out of the city. Keith forced himself up and chased after her, feeling nothing but guilt. Reese watched with surprise as Robbie sped passed him, chasing after Keith. The Pokémon watched the two Rangers leaving the town, fearing the fate of their bond. Reese began to cry a little.

Jordan pushed Keenan into the corner while Gabby and Andy dropped the last of the spilled Poach Balls into the crate they came in. Keenan struggled a little against the ropes tied tightly around his wrists behind him.

"That'll keep you out of trouble while I decide what to do with you," Jordan stated. Keenan looked up at Jordan, both with fear and frustration.

"Why're you doing this?!"

"D'uh! You've seen what we do with some of our snags! Big no-no, sweetie," Gabby retorted. Jordan glanced back at her.

"NOT what he means, Gabby," he sighed.

"Could've been," Andy said simply.

"It wasn't," Keenan confirmed.

"See?" Jordan looked down at his hostage. "Look, all you need to know is that we're doing what we're doing for the money," he explained.

"But it's wrong!" Keenan exclaimed. "You're stealing Pokémon's lives!"

"Think what you will," Jordan said simply, depositing Keenan's Poké Balls and Iara's Poach Ball into a cage that looked small enough to imprison a Natu. "You can't stop us."

"I didn't expect to! My sister will when she-" Andy's eyes widened, as if his mind was just blown.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Alexa's your sister?!" he asked in shock. Keenan recoiled; he hadn't meant to bring her up.

"But I thought Keith was your brother?" Gabby said, equally as shocked.

"I don't care," Jordan said to his lackeys. "Neither one of them is going to stop us. Come on." Jordan, Andy and Gabby walked away from Keenan and walked up the stairs.

"Y-YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" he cried at the top of his voice. Andy groaned.

"Can I shut that trap of his?!" he complained.

"Not now. Besides, you can drown it out with your guitar," Jordan said quietly.

"Oh, yeah," Andy said calmly. Jordan turned the basement light off as he exited the basement, closing the door behind him, leaving Keenan sitting there in the dark. He struggled against his bonds, the rope rubbing against his skin. He suddenly stopped as he had a burst of realisation. He came to terms with the potential consequences of his actions, but not for him; he was worried about the impact his capture would have on his sister and her relationship with Keith, which was already rocky after the Union Cave. One thought plagued his mind; if Keith and Alexa terminated their relationship, it'd be his fault!

"...n-no...!" Keenan leaned the back of his head against the wall behind him and tried not to cry. He held back his sobs, but not his tears.

Alexa and Ryder sped down the country path, following Darcy's hoof prints. Or so they prayed the hoof prints belonged to Darcy. Keith and Robbie barely managed to catch up to Alexa and Ryder.

"A-Alexa, wait!" Keith cried, gently pulling her arm to make her stop. Alexa had stopped, but pulled her arm back from him.

"Go away!" she shouted.

"No, please, listen to me!" Keith begged.

"I don't want anything more to do with you right now, I just want my baby brother..!" Alexa exclaimed, trying not to submit to her impending tears.

"That's just it! Look, you were right, I'm sorry!" Keith apologised. "Let me help you find him!"

"No! I trusted you to keep him safe and you royally screwed it up!" she scolded. Keith sighed sadly.

"You're right...and I'm sorry. But let me help you find him. Please."

"Get away from me..!" Alexa said tearfully. Keith was shocked; he never thought he'd hear such words from someone he cared about.

"Alexa, please! You can't do this alone!" he pleaded.

"Why do you think Ryder's here?!" Alexa screamed.

"That's not wha-"

"Let's go, Ryder," Alexa said quietly as she began to run off again, Ryder hesitantly following her. Tears swelled in his eyes, which fell when he closed his eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry I insulted Lydia!" he cried loudly. Alexa and Ryder stopped dead in their tracks and looked back at the sorrow-filled Ranger. The duo approached him as Robbie looked up at Keith worriedly; Keith was dangerously close to crying. "I shouldn't have mentioned her at all. It was a low blow...I'm sorry..!"

"Alex?" Ryder looked up at Alexa worriedly. She looked at the bruise she inflicted with so much guilt coursing through her heart.

"...I'm sorry I hurt you," she said quietly. Keith looked at her and immediately noticed how upset she looked. "I should've learned my lesson after I hurt Rhythmi."

"I got off lightly," Keith said plainly. Under normal circumstances, Ryder would laugh, as he would've assumed Keith made a joke. But the tension between the two Rangers was no laughing matter; he knew their conflict could have potential ramifications on their romance. He whined a little to himself.

"...I think we should keep our distance. Until I've brought Keenan back home, at least," Alexa suggested quietly.

"And if Jordan kidnaps you both? Or even kill you?! What then?!" Keith asked in shock.

"You'd be able to prove that you don't need me to stop Jordan," Alexa sighed.

"No. If that happens, Keenan will be without a sister, your Pokémon will be without a Trainer and a Lucario for a friend, and I'll be without the best girl I've ever known!" Keith cried.

"...not that I've been living up to that reputation right now," Alexa said pessimistically.

"I've not been living up to mine either. I've been a real jerk to you, and I was wrong to be like that with you."

"...go home and wait with Darcy," Alexa instructed quietly.

"No. I lost one Thorndyke sibling today, I'm not losing another one!" Keith exclaimed in defiance. Ryder stepped in the middle of the two emotionally unstable Rangers.

"Sorry to interrupt, but there's a child being held captive who, y'know, needs rescuing? Preferably before he meets an untimely demise?" Alexa sighed shakily.

"Do what you want, Keith," she said quietly. "I just don't care any more."

"Alexa..."

"Let's go, Ryder." Alexa and Ryder sprinted away from Keith. Robbie looked up at him almost expectantly. He shook his head and ran after Alexa; forget Ian's advice, he had a child to rescue! Robbie pranced after him.

Keenan fought against the ropes, but constantly winced in pain as he felt a burning sensation on his wrists. When he felt as though escape was impossible, he felt the ropes finally loosening. He kept the struggling up until the ropes fell off of his wrists. Freed at last, he looked at the damage the ropes caused; the ligature marks around his wrists were bright red and highly sensitive to touch. He flinched when he gently touched the redness. He approached the tiny cage and reclaimed his Poké Balls. He took the Poach Ball last and freed his trapped Vaporeon from its grasp. Iara shook herself off as soon as she was freed, relieved to be out of the abominable device. She saw Keenan and leapt at him with euphoria. He held onto her, happy beyond words to see her unharmed. He quietly shushed his excited Pokémon and held her under his arm as he began to make his way out of the basement.

Andy was back to strumming random notes on his guitar, Gabby was in her own little world with a set of earphones in her ears. Jordan returned his glass of whiskey on the table, next to the green and orange Poké Gear he confiscated from Keenan. Jordan's eyes were fixated on a Pokémon encyclopedia. Nobody noticed Keenan sneaking out of the basement and into the lounge. He saw how relaxed the poachers were, and bit his lip a little when he saw his Poké Gear; he knew he'd either have to come back for it or risk being captured again just for getting it back. He walked silently away from the lounge and made his way through a large, albeit dirty kitchen. The kitchen walls were grimy and the wallpaper was falling off from near the ceiling, the floor looked as though it hadn't been mopped in months, the table and chairs in the middle were dusty from disuse, the stove and oven were filthy, covered with burnt food substances of all sorts which couldn't be identified, the curtains were moth-bitten and there were dirty dishes soaking in even dirtier dishwater. Keenan made his way to the back door and carefully twisted the handle, praying to himself that it was unlocked. Sure enough, the door opened successfully. Taking care not to open the door too fast, Keenan and Iara snuck out of the house and silently closed the door behind him.

Outside, Keenan and Iara were relieved to be outside. But they had no clue where they were; they were in the middle of nowhere, with the woodlands in front of them. The only indication the pair had as to their location was the fact they could see Mt Silver in the distance, as well as the iconic building that was iconic Tin Tower standing tall on the horizon, marking the approximate location of Ecruteak City. Keenan released his orange-crested Fearow from his Poké Ball, who emerged with a stretch.

Gabby took her earphones out and stood up from the armchair as she made her way to the kitchen. She stopped in the kitchen doorway as she saw a pair of large brown wings and an orange crest atop a long neck.

"Andy?"

"What?" Andy responded with annoyance.

"Does your Fearow have an orange crest?" Gabby asked.

"No..? Why?"

"Then who's Fearow is that outside?"

In the lounge, Andy and Jordan shot up from the armchairs; there was only one person they knew who owned such a Fearow.

"Shit!" Jordan cussed. "Gabby, get in here! We're going after him!"

"Just fly up, Colin!" Keenan said as he scrambled onto the bird's back. "Straight up, above the clouds!" he added, setting Iara down in front of him. Colin looked up at the newly arrived clouds overhead. He took off in an instant, disappearing into the clouds.

The poachers jumped into the Jeep, carelessly leaving the front door of the house wide open, and Andy hastily started the engine. Leaving a little trench in the ground, the Jeep sped off towards the woodlands.

"Jordan, do you really care if we find the kid?" Andy asked.

"I'd prefer it if we did," Jordan grumbled. "He knows too much, and could rat us out to someone."

"Like Alexa," Gabby spat.

"Yes, thank you, Gabby," Jordan sighed. "But that kid...took a lot of balls to do what he did..." He rested his hand under his chin in thought. "Huh; why do I feel like I've forgotten something?"

_To be continued..._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 – Home Alone**

The two Rangers and their Pokémon companions finally escaped the seemingly everlasting woodlands and faced a vast area of countryside. The land was bare, save for a single detached house further up the hill. The entire area was silent, with a subtle breeze blowing across the land. Clouds were drawing in, making the entire land look more ominous than it was. Alexa and Keith followed the tyre tracks with their eyes and saw that they went all the way to the house. But no vehicle was in sight, and there wasn't a garage of any description attached to the house. There was also an old, but sturdy, barrel on the left hand side of the house, which was on the right from Keith and Alexa's perspective.

"Odd place for a house," Keith remarked. Ryder nodded, agreeing at the strangeness behind a home miles away from civilisation.

"You should see Fortree City; the place is mostly tree houses," Alexa said quietly.

"That sounds awesome," Ryder smiled.

"The tracks go up to the house," Keith observed. "Can't imagine Jordan living out here where there's nobody else for miles."

"We've already establish that," Alexa scolded quietly. "But people would think he'd be hiding in Johto or Kanto, given his attack pattern." Ryder observed a second set of tracks, identical to the set they followed, leading away from the house and back into the woodlands.

"Well, there's another set leading away from that place," he said. "Must not be home. Then again, lack of vehicle gives that away."

"Perfect," Alexa said under her breath. Without a second thought, she ran up towards the house. Caught off guard, Keith, Ryder and Robbie ran after her.

"Alexa!" Keith called. Alexa ignored him, her mind set on finding her little brother.

Colin hovered in place above the thickening layer of clouds; by now, the ground was completely invisible to him, Keenan and Iara. Keenan and Iara sighed with relief.

"Thanks, Colin," Keenan said gratefully. "We should get home now."

"Fear," Colin nodded in agreement. He flapped his wings a little and proceeded forward. The flight was casual, and there were the odd bird Pokémon flying around, including a very familiar-looking Chatot flying next to a Pidgeotto.

"Skywing!" Keenan called. The Chatot and Pidgeotto hovered in place and watched the Fearow approaching them.

"Keenan!" Skywing exclaimed happily. "Mew be praised, I am extremely relieved to see you well!"

"You have no idea how glad we are to see you!" Keenan said joyfully. He looked at the Pidgeotto, feeling the tiniest bit awkward. "Hi, Xavier."

"S'up?" Xavier's voice escaped the Pidgeotto's beak. "Look, what possessed you to disappear like that? You had me worried!"

"Uh..." Keenan recoiled and considered his motive for pulling such a stunt; he was, in fact, unsure as to why he snuck into the crate in the first place.

"Xavier, this is not the time and most certainly not the altitude," Skywing cautioned. "Say, Keenan, Darcy is back at the house, why don't we head back there together?"

"B-but Mum and Dad!" Keenan exclaimed fearfully. He was scared of their reaction if they found out he practically ran away from Keith's care and got himself held captive, which was completely out of his character.

"They won't be back until nightfall," Xavier replied. "They went to Unova a while ago."

"And Alexa left to search for you," Skywing added before Keenan could utter a second word. "There's no sense in tracking her down now, you would only be chasing your tail feathers." Iara looked at her tail in confusion; she had a fish-like tail, not tail feathers. She was confused. "Come along."

"Okay," Keenan nodded. Colin followed Skywing and the disguised Xavier through the sky.

Keith was the first to enter the house through the wide open front door. Alexa followed him inside, looking very cross with Keith. The Pokémon followed behind her.

"You shouldn't have rushed into this," Keith said quietly. Alexa moaned.

"Keith, we know there's nobody home, why are you being so unnecessarily protective?!" Ryder sniffed the aroma of the house and found it...unsettling to say the least.

"Hang on, can anyone else smell blood?" he asked. Keith and Alexa remained silent as they took in the unpleasant smell. Keith closed the front door, allowing the smell to remain inside the house.

"Hey, yeah! Can't tell were it's coming from, though," Keith stated.

"We'll have to find out while we're looking for-" Alexa stopped. While she was looking around, something in the lounge caught her eye, and she felt her heart beating slower.

"Alexa?" Keith's concern bypassed the girl as she raced into the lounge, and up to the table with the blue whisky bottle on top of it. Keith and the Pokémon ran over to her, but it wasn't the whisky that caught Alexa's attention.

"Keenan's Poké Gear!" Ryder exclaimed. Alexa took the green and orange communication device into both hands. It appeared to be unharmed.

"So he's been here!" Keith guessed. Alexa just stared at the Poké Gear, rather sadly.

"Keenan..." Ryder closed his eyes and lifted his aura sensors while Alexa placed the Poké Gear around her neck. She was relieved to have finally found a solid lead, but still worried as to his condition, his location and his state of mind.

"Hm? Hey, Alex, I can't sense anyone else here." Ryder finally spoke up. "It's just us."

"So they've either taken Keenan with them and are trying to find us or he escaped and they're trying to find him," Keith assumed. Alexa subtly cringed at the thought of the first possibility; after seeing Keith held hostage, the last thing she wanted was to see her brother in a similar situation.

"He must've escaped," Alexa said shakily. "The door wouldn't have been wide open otherwise." Keith blinked.

"Yeah. You wouldn't do that unless you were in a hurry," he agreed.

"Where do we start looking?" Ryder asked. Alexa looked towards the slightly open basement door...and had a thought.

"Is the smell coming from the basement?" she asked. Keith and Ryder looked at one another. Ryder shrugged before they both faced her. Robbie looked around at the oddly humble abode, quivering in his hooves, as if he was expecting an ambush.

"Probably. It'd be a good place to start at any rate," Keith replied. "We could find clues while we're at it."

"Clues?" Ryder asked.

"Clues to indicate if Keenan was down there, clues about what Jordan's doing with his captures...things of that nature," Alexa explained. Ryder nodded, showing his understanding.

"Well, let's get down there." Alexa and the Pokémon followed Keith towards the basement.

Skywing, Xavier and Colin flew through a cloud and down towards the idle Rapidash lying worriedly on the grass near the house. She stood up when she saw the birds flying towards her. Pidgeotto changed into the Illusion Fox Pokémon as the magenta energy wave flowed down his body. Keenan and Iara jumped off of Colin's back, where Keenan was immediately greeted by the ecstatic fire horse. Keenan was equally happy to see her, considering he virtually abandoned her when he began his infiltration.

"Darcy! Oh, I'm so sorry I worried you, girl!" Keenan apologised, stroking his pony's nose. "I don't know what I was thinking!" Darcy whinnied with relief.

"Hey, the important thing is you're safe," Xavier said reassuringly.

"Now, shall we proceed indoors? I believe it unwise to loiter around in the event those ghastly poachers discover you here," Skywing said cautiously.

"Yeah," Keenan agreed as he recalled his Fearow back into his Poké Ball. Xavier looked up at the roof; Lupin continued to nonchalantly lie on the roof.

"That means YOU as well, Lupin!" he called. Reluctantly, the Alakazam disappeared in a flash, reappearing behind a window, inside the house. Keenan approached the house, took the spare key from under the doormat and unlocked the door. After replacing the key, he proceeded into the house, the Pokémon following him.

Upon entering the basement, Alexa observed the smell of blood was neither stronger nor weaker. She also picked up the faint smell of rotting flesh. Ryder flicked the light switch and the contents of the basement were made clear to the teens. An Ursaring pelt hung from a piece of string attached to two parallel walls, various blood stained crates hogged up one corner, different sized cages took up another corner, a black toolbox sat near another crate, and a stuffed Sawsbuck was placed near the final corner. Robbie's eyes widened and watered at the Sawsbuck. He cried out and ran down to the adult Season Pokémon, in tears. Alexa held her hand over her mouth in disbelief as she saw the foal running over to the dead adult.

"Robbie?!"

"Keith...that Sawsbuck's his father," Alexa whispered. Keith's eyes widened as he obverved the Deerling weeping over the dead Sawsbuck. Sawsbuck didn't appear to have been injured in the slightest; it stood tall, as if with pride, despite no longer being a lively Pokémon. There were no visible wounds on its entire body; whoever made a full-body trophy out of it did a masterfully professional job of it.

"...really?"

"No; he cried papa for the heck of it," Alexa scowled sarcastically as she brushed passed him. Keith walked down the stairs and tried his best to calm Robbie down, but he kept sobbing with absolute sorrow. His greatest fear was realised.

Ryder wandered over to the crate cluster and used his cyan aura to lift the lids off of all of the crates. His telekinesis died out as he saw the contents of the crates, dropping the lids as a result. He looked around at the contents, eyes widened and ears dropped down the sides of his head. He spotted various Pokémon parts in the crates, including Donphan tusks, Beedrill spears, Cinccino fur, Swablu wings, the occasional Rapidash horn and Pokémon skulls. Ryder felt his stomach turning as he tried to identify the Pokémon skulls; he could only identify Ponyta, Tauros, Growlithe and some kind of bird Pokémon as some of the skulls inside the crates. He felt faint; they were not well-made counterfeits.

Alexa looked around the basement herself until something in the corner caught her eye; a pile of rope, randomly placed not too far from Sawsbuck. Ryder managed to overcome the urge to empty his bowels and paid attention to Alexa, noticing her moving towards the corner. He quickly placed the lids back on each of the crates with his psychic powers and approached Alexa.

"What're you on to?" he asked. Alexa looked at Ryder before looking down at the rope again.

"That," she replied. Ryder collapsed onto all fours and sniffed the rope as Keith approached Alexa.

"Keenan's scent's all over it," Ryder stated.

"All over it?" Keith questioned. Alexa jumped a little, having been oblivious to Keith approaching her. "If he was tied up, there'd be another scent on it, right?"

"Keith, the imagery of my brother tied up is not a welcomed one," Alexa said nastily. Keith was about to argue with her.

"There is another scent, but it's fainter," Ryder said, sniffing the rope some more. "I don't know whose it is, but it's not Keenan's, that's for sure."

"So we don't know who-"

"I don't care!" Alexa exclaimed quietly, trying to not disturb Robbie in his time of mourning. "I'm just glad Keenan's out of this mess."

"So we know he's safe," Ryder said as he stood up on his back legs again. "Now what?"

"Look upstairs, maybe?" Keith suggested. "See if that smell is stronger up there." Ryder looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"...why?"

"If they've killed someone, we should know about it," Alexa explained.

"Oh."

"Okay." Keith looked at the crying Deerling. He was sobbing at his father's feet, crying his little heart out. "Robbie, we should-"

"No, let him be," Alexa said quickly. She approached Robbie and crouched next to him. Robbie looked up at her sadly. Alexa recognised his look all too well. "Robbie? Listen...come and find us when you're ready," she said sweetly, stroking his head gently. "We won't leave without you." Robbie nodded slowly at her, as if to thank her for her kindness. Alexa gave Keith a cold glare as she stood up and walked towards the stairs. Keith and Ryder followed her up the stairs and out of the basement. Ryder looked at Robbie again, his paw ready to turn the lights off. But considering the things he saw, Ryder thought it best to leave the lights on. As he left, Ryder kept the door open, but wider than when he and the Rangers entered in the first place.

Keenan sat at the kitchen table, bandages wrapped around his wrists. Darcy lay on the rug in the sitting room, her worried glance fixated on Keenan. Skywing sat on the table near him as Xavier approached the boy with a glass of orange juice in his claws.

"Here you go, dude," he said as he placed the glass on the round coaster next to him.

"Thanks," Keenan said quietly. Xavier placed himself on the chair nearest to Keenan. He and Skywing looked concerned.

"Keenan, are you certain you're all right? You don't appear to be yourself," Skywing observed. Keenan sighed.

"I'm not. I think I might have single handedly ruined Alex and Keith's relationship," he said sadly. Xavier and Skywing, having witnessed the latest heated conflict between the teens, exchanged looks of misery. Keenan noticed the looks and became unsettled. "I have, haven't I?" Skywing sighed heavily.

"We're not going to lie to you. They did have another confrontation after Xavier and Keith returned," he said hesitantly.

"And from what Shade told us, it was more heated than last time," Xavier added.

"So I DID ruin them!" Keenan exclaimed. He slammed his head down on the table and groaned.

"Now, now, neither one of them said anything of the sort!" Skywing said with hasty reassurance.

"Nobody said 'we're through', either, so they're still together as far as we're aware," Xavier added.

"Besides, should they decide to terminate their romance, heaven forbid, it will most certainly not be because of you," Skywing smiled nervously.

"I hope you're right," Keenan said as he raised his head from the table.

"Why don't you explain everything to her when she gets back?" Xavier suggested.

"I'm sure she'll understand," Skywing said with little confidence.

"I hope so," Keenan sighed. As he drank from the glass, Xavier and Skywing looked at one another again, also fearing the consequences of Keenan's capture.

Keith, Alexa and Ryder followed the smell up the stairs. The first floor of the house was a long corridor with a series of doors mostly on one side. The end corridor in front of the teens was closed and had a padlock on it, while the room behind them was wide open, but it was just the bathroom. The bathroom looked recently cleaned, making it impossible for the room to house the almost unbearable and sickening smell resonating from somewhere on the floor. The carpet underneath was almost completely worn out and had dried stains of blood here and there, which seemed to lead from the only dirty door on the entire corridor. All of the doors were white, except the one with the bloodied hand print near the door handle.

"Eurgh! We're definitely close!" Alexa exclaimed, trying to block the stench. Keith gagged and coughed under the grotesque smell. It was the smell of blood, all right, but there was the smell of rotting flesh to back it up.

"What the hell died up here?!"

"Whatever it was, the smell's strongest here," Ryder said, standing next to the stained door.

"Oh, God..!"

"Why do I get the feeling we don't want to open that door?" Alexa asked, dreading the answer with a passion.

"We probably don't. Still, we can't ignore it," Ryder sighed.

"Let's get this over with..."

Keith slowly opened the door. The odour overwhelmed them instantly, and Keith only opened the door slightly. He opened the door fully when everyone barely managed to compose themselves after the unwelcoming stench. What awaited inside made everyone stop dead in their tracks. Pardon the expression.

The room was empty, derived of furniture of any description. The carpet was stained with blood, old and new, with bloodied footprints all over the place. But it was the centrepiece of the room that struck the Lucario and teenagers with more horror than they ever experienced so far. In the middle of the room were two corpses. One was a more aquatic species; its head was completely chopped off, and its back looked as though something was hacked off. Its skin was pale and dry from dehydration, blood originating from the wounds on its neck and back. The other was the more sickening of the two. Not only was it beheaded like the aquatic corpse, but it had no fur whatsoever, having been skinned after death, and its underbelly sliced open. There were no organs inside the second corpse, and its flesh looked bloated. The land based creature must have died earlier than the sea based creature was, and was definitely not as recognisable of the sea creature. The smell everyone picked up came from those two...Pokémon? Without heads, they didn't appear to look like Pokémon at all. Ryder looked around, but the heads of the two dead Pokémon could not be seen at all. He turned pale.

"...there are...there are just...no words..."

Keith could hardly breathe; never in his life had he ever seen Pokémon as decapitated as the two that lay before him. He felt light headed from the disgusting sight combined with the unbearable smell they gave off.

Alexa couldn't tolerate the sight any longer. She darted out of the room as fast as she could. Keith and Ryder watched her, and became concerned when they heard the sounds of retching and coughing from the bathroom.

Keith and Ryder left the room, closing the door behind them, and ran over to the sickened Alexa with concern. She knelt over the toilet, breathing heavily. Ryder looked around; considering the atrocity he and the teens saw, he found it strange to see such a clean room; the blue tiles were perfectly clean, the bath was unused, yet sublime in condition, the shower looked more recently used, but was without mildew all the same. The fresh bathroom rug was slightly out of place, as if Alexa nearly slipped on it when she raced into the room.

"Alexa..?"

"I-I'm all right," she said groggily. Ryder looked at how pale and sickly she looked.

"You don't look it," he said worriedly. "Alex, y-you don't think that Lapras...?"

"U-Union Cave," Alexa said, nodding really slowly. Ryder was overcome with so many emotions it was hard to tell which he was experiencing.

"How could they do that to Lapras!?

"And that other Pokémon! What WAS that thing?!" Keith asked in horror.

"S-Stantler," Alexa replied shakily. Keith faced her in astonishment; there was nothing on the second Pokémon to distinguish its identity in the slightest. No head, no tail, no organs!

"How do you know that!?"

"T-the hooves..." Alexa replied simply. Alexa gagged and coughed, head leaning towards the toilet in case she was going to hurl.

"I know they're poachers, but what the Muk?! Why are they killing Pokémon?!"

"You're talking about Sawsbuck, aren't you?" Keith asked, looking towards Ryder.

"Not just that! There were other things down there!" Ryder exclaimed. "Skulls, fur, tusks and even Swablu wings! And they weren't fake either, I think some of the skulls still had some-"

Combined with the lingering smell of rotting flesh, Alexa couldn't tolerate the mental imagery of Ryder's discoveries. The sound of her vomiting a second time cut the conversation short.

"Ryder!" Keith scolded.

"Sorry, sorry!" Ryder apologised quickly. Alexa didn't reply; instead, she coughed, occasionally gagged again and breathed heavily, trying to keep calm. Keith and Ryder looked at one another with concern before they faced Alexa.

"What do we do now?" Keith asked. Alexa would have scoffed if she wasn't feeling so rotten; she was supposed to be off duty, yet Keith was asking for advice? She found the idea ludicrous, but had little energy to argue.

"...we leave," she said finally, and quietly.

"Huh?"

"But shouldn't we do something about the stuff we saw?" Keith asked. Again, Alexa found the fact that a uniformed and on duty Ranger seeking advice from an off duty Ranger ridiculous, especially considering Keith was a Rank 10 Top Ranger like she was.

"...Robbie might not be ready yet anyway." Keeping her head close to the toilet, she dug out her mobile phone from one of the pockets on her shorts and held it out to Keith. "U-use my phone to take photos. I hope someone at the Ranger Union has a strong stomach..." Keith gently took the phone, but kept looking at her with concern.

"Alexa..."

"Hurry up. Jordan could be back any moment," she said, rather coldly.

"...just get better," he said quietly. Ryder waited for Keith to exit the room before kneeling next to Alexa. She pulled the lever on the toilet to flush it.

"How long are you and Keith going to dispute?" he asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Alexa admitted sadly.

"Alex, it's not because of you and it's not because of him that you're at each others' throats," Ryder said gently. "Jordan's putting so much pressure on the pair of you."

"I hope that's the case..."

Keith re-entered the room with the deceased and decapitated Lapras and Stantler, gagging and almost throwing up himself as he entered. He took a more careful look at the Stantler corpse, particularly its hooves; they looked different compared to those of a Rapidash or a Sawsbuck, and it looked too big to be Ponyta or Deerling, as well as too thin to be Tauros. He was impressed that Alexa was able to identify a corpse in the state it was in. He shook his head to snap him out of a distracting train of thought and began to struggle through Alexa's mobile. After nearly calling his own number by accident, he finally found the phone's camera and managed to work out how to use it. Trying not to contaminate the scene himself, he took photographs of the whole room, including the corpses. Satisfied at the photographs he took, he saved them. He accidentally exited from the camera as he left the room, cussing under his breath when he did so. He stared at the wallpaper on Alexa's phone and recognised it immediately; it was the picture he sent to her while he was an Area Ranger. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed earlier. Alexa took the time to scan the photograph into a computer, turned it into a digital picture and sent it to her phone to turn it into the wallpaper. Keith pocketed the phone and quickly went down the stairs before tears could form in his eyes.

Alexa finally stood up and approached the wash basin. Ryder watched as she opened the cabinet in front of her and looked inside for something to quell off bad breath, an inevitable side effect of vomiting.

"You sure you're okay now, Alex?" Ryder asked with concern. Alexa pulled out a bottle of green liquid and read the label; mouthwash. That might do the trick, she thought.

"Yeah," she said quietly, twisting the lid of the bottle. She pulled the lid off and poured some of the liquid into the lid. She quickly sipped the mouthwash, being careful not to swallow it, and swished the mouthwash in her mouth as she placed the lid back onto the bottle and the bottle back into the cabinet. As soon as she closed the doors of the cabinet, she spat the mouthwash out and coughed; it was too strong for her tastes. She turned the tap on momentarily to clean the basin of the mouthwash mixed with saliva.

"Alex..."

"Come on, let's see if Robbie's ready to go." Alexa and Ryder left the bathroom relatively untouched. Ryder moved the rug back to its original position, trying to keep it as it was when they found it.

Keith and a calmer, but still saddened, Robbie exited the basement just in time to meet Alexa and Ryder on the stairs. Keith held Alexa's phone out to her.

"Here. I caught everything I thought was relevant," he said quietly. "Sawsbuck, the Ursaring, the crates and their contents, whatever related to the poaching." Alexa gently took the phone and placed it back in the pocket it came from.

"I'll send them to Professor Hastings tonight," she stated. "Let's go." Alexa and Keith walked out of the front door, their Pokémon following.

Outside, all four of them were stunned to find Jordan's Jeep parked further down the hill. Whatever they were doing, none of them were looking at the house, but amongst themselves. Alexa saw red.

"Wow, that was well timed," Ryder said in bewilderment.

"Not for them," Alexa said spitefully. Keith panicked. Alexa began to race towards the parked Jeep and its ignorant passengers, but Keith grabbed her in an instant, holding her waist with one arm and clasping his other hand over her mouth. She struggled violently as Keith pulled her back behind the barrel. Ryder and Robbie followed them and lay low. As the Jeep approached the house, Keith became annoyed with Alexa's struggling.

"Shut up, you're gonna give us away!" he whispered spitefully. Ryder shook his head, fully understanding Alexa's reason for her struggling; under normal circumstances, one would only be grabbed in such a manner if they were being kidnapped.

The Jeep finally pulled up to the house and Andy turned the engine off. Jordan looked at the wide open front door. Keith almost panicked; they forgot to close it behind them.

"Shit. We left the bloody door open! I knew we forgot something!" Jordan complained.

"Fuck. Never mind, nobody knows we're here," Andy said on a slightly more optimistic note.

"Unless that kid spills," Gabby spat.

"Gabby, he was inside a crate, there was no way he could tell which way we went," Jordan sighed.

"On the bright side, though, at least we won't have to put up with his whimpering," Andy said rudely.

"I couldn't hear anything," Gabby said casually.

"Should've muzzled him, though. Son of a bitch..." Andy's words offended Alexa greatly, as she began to struggle again. Keith held her as tight as he could, which was almost too tightly for her to cope with.

"Just get inside," Jordan moaned. He, Andy and Gabby entered the house and closed the door behind them. Keeping his grip on Alexa, Keith began to carefully move away from the house, Ryder and Robbie following closely.

Gabby ran into the lounge and flopped back into the armchair with her CD player and headphones on one of the armrests and sighed contentedly.

"Finally, I can relax!"

"By the way, you gonna get rid of those corpses?" Andy asked, entering the lounge with Jordan. He noticed something obvious when he approached his chair and whisky. "The place is stinking up."

"Eventually," Gabby shrugged. She and Andy heard Jordan growling under his breath and faced him in confusion. "Jordan?"

"The Poké Gear's gone," Jordan said angrily.

"Who would take that thing anyway?" Andy asked. Jordan had a very good idea to answer that question. He said, spitefully...

"Alexa..."

As soon as they entered the woodlands, Alexa finally freed herself from Keith's incriminating grip and faced him angrily.

"What the hell, Keith!?"

"You were going to give us away, I had to do something!" Keith yelled furiously.

"Did you HAVE to grab me like that, though?! I had flashbacks of Ice because of that!" Alexa scolded. Keith recoiled; he hadn't considered the cruel treatment she sustained when Kincaid and the Sinis Trio held her captive. Flashbacks of his escapade to rescue her played in his mind during the silence between him and Alexa.

"...sorry. But if I let you confront Jordan, that would've meant we'd be in the same predicament Keenan was." Now it was Alexa's turn to recoil; she hadn't thought of the consequences that her confronting Jordan would have had not only on her, but on Keith and the Pokémon as well. She avoided eye contact with Keith as she thought about what could have happened to her and Keith; they could have been held hostage together, with little to no hope of someone coming to their aid. And considering the fact that they saw a lot more than what they had in the basement, Jordan would not have let them go so easily. As the silence was prolonged, Keith's concern grew.

"Alexa?"

"Let's just go back home," Alexa sighed, running passed Keith. It took a little while for Alexa to realise nobody was following her. She turned around and saw Keith, Robbie and even Ryder looking at her with concern from afar. "Come on!" she yelled, almost angrily. Ryder was the first to comply, running towards her. Keith and Robbie then followed. The four of them ran back the way they came, finally ready to return to Violet City. Alexa prayed that she would find her brother there.

_To be continued..._


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 – Healing**

Gabby and Andy stared at the irate Jordan in horror. The pair faced one another briefly before they dared to speak.

"Wait up, you think Alexa was here?"

"Well, d'uh, we DID hold her brother captive!" Gabby huffed.

"You were just as surprised as I was, Gabby!"

"Except Keenan escaped before she got here," Jordan said deeply. "Urgh...we'll have to look into somewhere else to hide out."

"Damn." Gabby was less than amused.

"That little-!" The startling noise of Jordan's fist slamming hard on the wooden table broke Gabby and Andy's concentration and made them jump a little. They knew Jordan was livid.

"...Alexa...your head is mine...!"

Alexa and Ryder ran into the quiet city, stopping near their home to catch their breath. Keith and Robbie finally caught up to them. Robbie panted with his little tongue sticking out.

"Alexa?"

"What?" she asked, somewhat rudely.

"You okay? You haven't said a word since we left the woodlands outside Johto," Keith said with worry.

"In what context?" Alexa asked simply.

"Emotionally." She looked away from Keith, contemplating an answer. The truth was she was left disturbed at what she had witnessed; she had never seen such brutality in her life, and she thought the murdered Medicham was a horrific sight.

"...I just want to go home," she said finally.

"Are you avoiding the question?" Keith snapped. Alexa scoffed and faced the suspicious boy.

"Why, would you love it if I was?"

"Look, I already said sorry, okay?!"

"And you meant it."

"So what's your problem?!" Keith asked demandingly. Ryder and Robbie watched the two teenagers with anxiety.

"Is it so wrong for me to want to see my brother again?!"

"No, but-"

"I rest my case!"

"Guys, guys, chill out!" Ryder said suddenly. "We're almost home, can't you argue later? Or, like, never again?" Keith and Alexa sighed, but Alexa made her way towards the house before Keith could even apologise for his accusation. Instead, he and Robbie followed her and Ryder back to the house.

Alexa hoped to find her brother beyond the red door in front of her, but, at the same time, expected not to find him. She opened the door and entered the house. Sitting there at the kitchen table with her Chatot and Zoroark was none other than her little brother, Keenan, looking as guilty as he felt, especially after having seen her walk over the threshold. Keenan stood up to approach her, but he felt his sister's arms wrapping around him before he could even lift a foot off of the ground. Robbie found Reese near Darcy and Iara, lying on the carpet in front of the three seater sofa and approached them. Keith closed the door behind him and stood next to Ryder, watching the reunion between the two siblings.

"Oh, Keenan..! Please tell me you're all right!"

"I-I think so," Keenan replied shakily.

"I'm SO sorry about all of this, I-"

"It was my fault, I ran away!" Keenan confessed. Alexa looked at her brother straight in the eye, mildly shocked.

"What..?"

"While everyone was distracted, I snuck onto Jordan's Jeep!"

"What the..?" Keith and Ryder were surprised at the revelation. Xavier and Skywing weren't shocked in the slightest, having already heard the story from Keenan. Alexa shook her head.

"...it doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're all right!"

"I-I was scared, Alex..!" Alexa smiled sweetly at her distraught brother and stroked the back of his head.

"It's okay, it's over now." Keenan shook his head.

"Not of him."

"Huh?" Alexa was confused; if it wasn't the captor or the experience as a whole that had him scared, what else could have scared him? What he saw in the basement? She counted herself lucky he hadn't explored the upstairs of the house.

"I was scared I ruined you and Keith..."

"Huh?" Keith was left dumbfounded.

"Ruined us?" Alexa asked. Skywing cleared his throat politely.

"We informed him of your latest heated argument," he said regretfully.

"Oh."

"Oh, Keenan...Keith and I haven't broken up," Alexa said kindly. It was true; technically, neither one chose to terminate their romance. The thought hadn't occurred to either her or Keith.

"I-I don't want you to b-because of me..!" Keenan whimpered.

"We won't!"

"I hope," Keith added quietly. Alexa gave Keith a small glance before the pair looked away from one another, feeling awkward. Keenan became concerned during the silence.

"Guys?"

"S-say, Ryder, how was the search?" Skywing asked suddenly, desperate for the conversation to continue. Ryder gave Skywing a frown.

"You DON'T want to know."

"That bad, huh?" Xavier asked. Ryder nodded.

"And worse."

"Alexa, Keith, you two have been gone all morning. Why don't you two stay home for the rest of they day and relax?" Skywing suggested optimistically. "You still need some lunch." Alexa flinched; how could she even think about eating after she lost her breakfast upon seeing two dead Pokémon lying nonchalantly in the middle of an otherwise empty room in a house she thought her brother was being held hostage in?

"I think I'll skip on lunch..."

"Me too, but we really shouldn't," Keith said quietly.

"He's right."

Alexa stood up and walked up the stairs, ruffling her brother's hair and muttering something to herself along the way. Keith sat down in the nearest kitchen chair and sighed, resting his head in one palm.

"...juice?" Xavier asked nervously.

Alexa sat down on a chair in front of a ruby red laptop sitting on a desk in the corner of her bedroom, which was near her television, games console and other games and accessories. There were two beanbags next to the desk, one red, one blue. She turned the laptop on and took her phone out of her pocket. She opened a drawer while her laptop booted up and took out a small cable. She plugged her phone into one end of the cable while plugging the other end into the laptop. The wallpaper on her desktop was a photograph of the entire Johto region at sunset taken from a tall mountain; but the serenity of it failed to put a smile on Alexa's face. She retrieved the photos Keith took from her phone and opened up her email program, logging in beforehand. She attached the photographs – taking care to not look at them too closely – to the currently empty email before typing in a Ranger Union email address. She then began to type in a report of what she and Keith had seen at Jordan's alleged accommodation, neglecting purposely to mention her brother's involvement. Not caring about the contents of her report, she sent the email off. After the email sent successfully, Alexa sighed and placed her head in both hands, worried about the future of her relationship with Keith.

Xavier placed a glass of cool refreshing orange juice next to Keith and sat next to him. Keith looked at the glass.

"I told you I didn't want anything."

"Come on, now, Keith, you need something," Skywing said worriedly.

"Yeah, don't be a hypocrite," Xavier added.

"I'm just not hungry," Keith argued.

"Too worried to?" Keenan asked. Keith scoffed.

"Why would I be worried?"

"Seriously? Do you really have short term memory loss?" Ryder asked rudely, slumping down on the sofa nearest to Reese. "You're worried about where your relationship with Alex is going." Keith remained silent; he hadn't thought about the fate of his relationship. Keenan could tell he feared the worst, and himself became worried when he noticed the bruise below his eye.

"Talk to her. Honesty is the best policy," Skywing advised.

"I don't know if she'll hear me out, she just stormed off."

"She's just filing a report, that's all," Keenan explained. "She was muttering about it before she left."

"Oh." Xavier grew impatient with Keith's lacking confidence.

"Man up and talk to her! You're gonna be working together on this, whether you're romantically involved or not, you need the cooperation!"

"He's right, you two need to sort this out!" Ryder agreed. Keenan became increasingly upset, still blaming himself for the latest strife between his sister and her boyfriend. He quickly stood up and ran up the stairs. Skywing sighed.

"I sincerely hope the pair of you will resolve this matter."

"You mean you want us back together," Keith said half-heartedly. Skywing faced Keith earnestly.

"That is for you and Alexa to decide," he said truthfully. "All I can do is wish the both of you all the best, whatever you decide." The rest of the Pokémon grew worried as the possibility of Keith and Alexa's relationship being destroyed was becoming more and more real by the second. Keith stood up and walked up the stairs slowly. Robbie lay down and tried not to cry, despite having no tears left.

Alexa read an email sent in response to hers, hearing Keenan entering his room as she scanned the words on the screen.

"Thanks, Alex, I'll pass it on to Professor Hastings. Are you doing all right over there? You coping? Rhythmi."

Alexa deleted the email; the acknowledgement of her report was more than enough for her, she had no need to reply. Keith watched her from the doorway as she looked at the email she sent, which was placed into her sent box.

"Alexa?"

"I sent the report to Rhythmi. She'll pass it on to the professor," she explained unenthusiastically.

"You didn't mention-"

"No, I didn't mention Keenan's involvement. Nor our situation at the moment if that's any consolation," Alexa said. Keith sighed.

"Alexa, about that, I...I want to talk to you about-"

"Skywing put you up to it," Alexa interrupted. "You don't sound confident." Keith flinched; he really wasn't. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Y-yes...but he's right, we need to talk about it. Alexa...please." Alexa turned in her seat to face him, commanding her laptop to shut down before looking up at him.

"Keith, I hit you. If that's not a sign that our relationship is as dead as the Lapras we saw-"

"I deserved it! All right? I said I got off lightly and I mean that too!" Keith exclaimed.

"That may be what you think, but that doesn't make what I did to you right..."

"Alexa-"

"I should have learned my lesson after what I did – or nearly did – to Rhythmi," Alexa sighed.

"Rhythmi didn't know any better! I know about Lydia, and I knew about her when I said what I did before you hit me! I should have known better and I apologise! Alexa, please! We need to resolve this one way or another!" Keith pleaded.

"...you don't want us to be together any more, do you?" Alexa asked pessimistically. The words struck Keith like a spark of realisation.

"No! I don't want us to be torn apart! ...why? Are you saying you don't want to be with me any more?" he asked sadly.

"...I don't know. I-I just don't know." Keith felt saddened at her answer; while she hadn't said she wanted to end the relationship, the uncertainty of her reply hadn't made him feel any better.

"Alexa..."

"...I need more time to think." Keith sighed silently with slight relief, though he still prayed she would realise she shouldn't feel guilty for hitting him; he felt he deserved it, and he had no intention to officially report the assault.

"...okay."

"You should have a shower," Alexa said, on a more positive tone. "You look like you need it."

"What about you? You ran as much as I did."

"I can manage." Keith laughed a little.

"Okay."

"Come on then."

"Whuh?" Alexa laughed.

"I need to show you how the shower works." Keith laughed nervously.

"Heh; I forgot." Alexa stood up from her seat and escorted Keith to the bathroom.

Keenan sighed as he sat on his bed with a black controller in his hands. Various different logos flashed on the TV screen in front of him before the game's title screen finally showed up; a novelty action adventure game called Ruby Groudon. Keenan pressed the start button on his controller.

Alexa led Keith into the bathroom and walked over to the shower. Keith looked around at the bathroom; the walls were painted in a fitting aqua blue with white non-slip tiles on the floor, the bath and the shower occupied two different corners, in parallel with each other, with the toilet and wash basin in front of him, with a mirrored cabinet – similar to the one in Jordan's bathroom – above the basin. The bath was designed to be built into the corner, and the shower was designed in a manner similar to a rounded cubicle. The glass doors were tastefully cloudy, obscuring the transparency of the glass. There were three identical rugs placed around the floor; one was in front of the bath, one was in front of the shower and the other was in front of the wash basin. Alexa opened the doors of the shower and showed Keith the shower inside; the shower head was large, round and mounted onto the wall, connected to a white plastic knob on the wall. One side of the knob was blue, the other was red. There was a small dial in the middle on the knob, which, at the present, was upright. The shower head was made of stainless steel and it looked like it had small LED light bulbs built into it.

"You just turn that around clockwise to turn it on and anti-clockwise to turn it off," Alexa explained. "The dial in the middle adjusts the heat of the water; turn it clockwise for hotter water, anti-clockwise for colder water. If you want the lights on, press the button in the middle of the dial."

"Thanks, Alexa."

"Take your time," Alexa said kindly as she walked out of the room, allowing Keith his privacy by closing the door behind her.

Alexa walked down the corridor, but stopped when she heard Keenan yelling angrily. A hard slam followed his yell. Concerned, she poked her head into his bedroom. Keenan's bedroom was absolutely different to that of Alexa's; the walls were painted light blue, his carpet was dark tan with a large rounded rug in the middle of the room, which was dark blue with a light pale blue snowflake design covering most of the rug. There was a wardrobe in the corner of the room, near Keenan's television, DVD collection, game console and his other games. There was a sapphire blue clock mounted on the wall near the television, and there was a large brown storage chest sitting in front of the far wall. The curtains were a translucent blue and were open, allowing natural light into the room. There were a pair of beanbags in the corner next to Keenan's sleigh bed, one green, the other chocolate brown. There was a red alarm clock on one of the chest of drawers next to the bed, the other had a hand-made Phione plush toy that looked somewhat aged. Keenan buried his face in his sea green duvet.

"Keenan?" Keenan looked up at his sister in shock, not having heard her arrive.

"Alex! I-"

"You okay?" Alexa asked with concern.

"N-no, I-I just..."

Alexa approached Keenan and sat on his bed. The pair lay themselves down on the bed, facing one another with their heads close to his pillows.

"Talk to me."

"I just...I just feel responsible for you and Keith arguing," Keenan said sadly.

"No, Keenan, you're not responsible for that," Alexa said kindly, stroking his hair gently.

"I was for the fight you had while I was trying to get into Jordan's place..." Alexa looked at him sadly. She hadn't seen Keenan so guilty in all his life; he hadn't needed to. She tried not to sound angry or interrogative with her next question.

"Why did you do that anyway?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know any more," Keenan replied truthfully. "I thought I knew what I was doing, but I wasn't really thinking. I didn't even think about the consequences until after I was found out, but the only one I could think about concerned you can Keith." Alexa felt even worse after hearing him out. She almost felt like crying. "I-I was just scared you'd break up because of me! Y-you're not going to, are you?" Keenan sounded completely distraught at that point, which hadn't made Alexa feel any easier.

"...I don't know. I just need time to think," she said, repeating what she had said to Keith a few moments beforehand.

"What's there to think about? If you love him, then-"

"Of course I love him," Alexa said honestly.

"Then why think?" Keenan asked sorrowfully.

"I need to clear my head. Keith and I both said things we didn't mean, and I just want to think about what happens next," Alexa explained softly.

"I-If you love each other, why do you need to think about if you'll stay together? If anything, y-you should be stronger than before..!"

"Oh, Keenan...my problem is a more grown-up one," Alexa sighed, bearing a little smile.

"You're not grown ups! Your problem doesn't have to be." Alexa's eyes widened slightly; she recalled the moment Keenan first reminded her and Keith they weren't proper adults. Legally, Alexa was still a child herself. Keith was 18 years old, but his body was still growing, and would still grow until he turned approximately 21 years old. She mentally slapped herself for forgetting that she wasn't a proper adult.

"...huh. I remember you already said that to us, but I never thought about that..."

"Are you going to talk to him?" Keenan asked hopefully.

"Not now, no." Keenan's heart sank.

"Why not?"

"He's having a shower, that's why not," Alexa chuckled.

"...oh." Keenan laughed nervously. Alexa looked at the TV screen; the Zangoose character stood idly on a lush green meadow, with enemy Rhydon waiting for its assault.

"So...what game is it you're playing?"

"Ruby Groudon," Keenan replied blandly.

"I see. How about a co-op game?" Keenan smiled with delight.

"Yeah!" Alexa laughed as she rolled off of the bed to retrieve the game controllers. She handed the black one to Keenan while she kept the silver one. She pressed the start button and a Mawile character suddenly spawned from nowhere, filling the Player 2 slot. Alexa and Keenan began playing the game, moving their respective characters towards the Rhydon army.

Keith wrapped a towel around his waist just before exiting the shower, which he had turned off a few seconds beforehand. He approached the mirrored cabinet doors and wiped away the condensation. He noticed something iconic on him that made him stop where he stood; he spotted the scars on his chest. Recalling the current dispute he and Alexa were involved in, seeing his scars made his heart skip a beat. He remembered the memories of the events that led to his scars, and remembered them vividly; Alexa bound and gagged to the chair, the Nidoqueen, Weavile, Aggron and Donphan that forcefully confronted him, Alexa helping with the control of his capture disc...the Weavile's claws slashing his flesh, intent on hurting Alexa. He protected her from those razor sharp claws. He attained those permanent scars to ensure Alexa was unharmed. He knew he bore those scars, but this was the first time he'd seen them for himself in months; he just hadn't thought about them until now. He raised a hand to his scars, his breathing becoming steadily faster as he tried not to cry, his tears laying dormant in his eyes, waiting to run down his face. He closed his eyes tightly and snapped himself out of his train of thought before he lost himself completely to his feelings of guilt.

Fully clothed in his uniform, he made his way out of the bathroom and proceeded to Alexa's bedroom, passing Keenan's on the way. He poked his head into the door, curious at the strange video game noises originating from the room. He saw Alexa and Keenan playing the game on the black rectangular games console, with their two characters battling against the Aggron boss. Keenan and Alexa were smiling and laughing, having fun with both the game and each other. Keith smiled; he loved seeing Alexa happy. He left them alone and proceeded quietly to Alexa's bedroom.

Keith returned to Alexa's bedroom and quickly changed into a more casual attire, wanting to get out of his sweaty uniform as quickly as possible, metaphorically kicking himself for not thinking to bring a change of clothes with him before his shower. He pulled out a random blue T-shirt and grey jeans from Alexa's wardrobe – having an entire half of it dedicated to his clothes – and pulled them on in place of his uniform. Satisfied at the change, he threw his uniform into the wardrobe before closing it. He sat on Alexa's bed and took the photo frame on the chest of drawers near his side of the bed and stared at it; the photograph still depicted him and Alexa some time after Ollie and Elaine's wedding, smiling happily at the camera, arms around each other. He stared at it with a loving smile until he heard Alexa and Keenan walking by. Alexa said something to Keenan and entered the room, closing the door behind her. Keith hadn't noticed her until the door closed, but he was in no way startled. He returned the photo frame as he found it and sat on the bed properly, facing her.

"You okay, Alexa?" he asked politely. Alexa looked a little more nervous than Keith.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she replied. "You?"

"Sort of," Keith shrugged. "Listen, I've been thinking." Alexa dreaded exactly what it was that Keith thought about.

"Yeah?"

"I think...well..." Keith felt horribly nervous, and almost hesitated to speak the words he wanted to get across to her. "I don't want us to break up. But if that's what you want, I'll live with that if we can still be friends." Alexa felt gutted.

"...but...I don't want us to break up." Keith's eyes widened a little; he hadn't expected her to respond like that. He assumed she would want to break up with him, given how she felt when she found out Keenan had vanished from right under his nose. He knew she was right in that he could've kept a better eye on him, so her not wanting to break up with him came as a bit of a shock to him.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I-It's only because of Jordan that we're at each others' throats," Alexa replied. "I know that if we were to disagree, we'd be more mature about it."

"Speaking of that, I'm really sorry I hurt your feelings," Keith apologised sincerely. Alexa looked at the bruise below his eye, with absolute guilt.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." Keith gave her a reassuring smile.

"I had it coming. I should have known better, like I said earlier. If it makes you feel any better, I don't plan to report it to the professor; as far as he's concerned, none of this dispute ever happened." While Alexa was grateful for Keith's kindness, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself; she hurt Keith, which was the last thing she wanted to do, but she did anyway, purely out of blinding rage. She didn't want to agree with Keith, saying he deserved the punch – or worse, she would never condone what she did to him, or Rhythmi.

"...thank you." Keith could tell Alexa was trying not to cry; she held back her tears to the best of her abilities, but they itched to escape her eyes.

"So...shall we put our disputes behind us and enjoy each other again?" he asked gently, approaching her.

"...yes." Keith smiled sweetly at her.

"Come here." He held her gently in his arms. She held onto him, almost tightly, dangerously close to submitting to her tears. She tried to hold back her sobs, but they escaped her anyway. Keith shushed her quietly, stroking her smooth golden hair slowly. After a short while, Alexa's sobbing stopped and they met eye to eye; she looked upset while he wore a loving smile.

"I'm sorry," Alexa said quietly.

"I'm sorry too," Keith apologised. He gently wiped away what tears were left from Alexa's eyes with his thumbs. "I still say I deserved that hit, though. But I'll forgive you for it if it makes you happy." Alexa smiled; his words really had made her happy.

"Keenan told me everything about his disappearance. He said he acted on his own, so you don't have anything to apologise for. But if it makes you feel better, I forgive you."

"I was kind of hoping you'd forgive me for what I said to you," Keith said, losing his smile a little.

"You were right, though; how can I claim to have been able to keep a more vigilant eye on my brother when I couldn't even keep an eye on my Butterfree?"

"Hey, come on. You're a good Trainer, you did your best. That's all anyone can do." Alexa smiled at him.

"Yeah. You did what you could under the circumstances – or Jordan, as it were. I forgive you."

"Thank you," Keith said gratefully. Alexa returned Keith's gentle smile.

"Thank you," Alexa said quietly. Keith and Alexa moved closer to one another gradually. Soon enough, their lips met, and they shared a loving and tender kiss. Their kiss steadily became more passionate, as Alexa moved her hands from behind Keith's back to behind his neck. Keith moved his hands from behind her back down to her hips and held her close to him as they began to kiss more passionately. Before the passion was at its fullest, Alexa pulled herself away from Keith gently, laughing.

"Keith, Keith..! Settle down!" Keith laughed.

"I can't help it. Sorry," he replied. Alexa smiled at him.

"Can you hold up until later tonight?" she asked, trying not to laugh. Keith briefly looked away from her, pretending to think deeply about a reply.

"Maybe. What do we do in the meantime?"

"I dunno about you, but I'm ready for lunch now," Alexa replied. Keith was bewildered.

"You're feeling well enough?"

"I must be, I'm starving," Alexa giggled. Keith laughed.

"I kinda thought skipping lunch was a bad idea."

"It's not too late for it now," Alexa smiled as she and Keith left the room, hand in hand.

Keenan sat at the kitchen table, with a fresh glass of orange juice next to him. Darcy had returned to her Poké Ball, leaving Iara, Robbie and Reese lying on the carpet. Lupin was sitting in the far corner, ignoring everything around him. Xavier and Skywing were engaged in conversation on the other side of the kitchen table and Ryder simply relaxed and tried to forget the horrible images he saw. Keenan heard Keith and Alexa entering the room.

"So you can cook?" Keith asked curiously.

"Just a little; basic stuff, really, nothing like my mum," Alexa replied shyly. Keenan smiled at the healthy reaction, as were the Pokémon – except Lupin, who didn't care in the slightest, but, mentally, Keenan was jumping joyfully like an Azurill on caffeine to see Keith and Alexa were still together as a couple.

"What things can you make?" Keith asked.

"Pasta, mostly. But I can make pancakes from scratch. Actually, I fancy some right now," Alexa laughed. Keith raised an eyebrow, but maintained his cheerful smile.

"After what we've seen, you have a craving for pancakes?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"...huh; you got me there," Keith laughed.

"Hey, Keenan, have you had lunch yet?" Keenan tried his best to contain his happiness.

"No, why?"

"Fancy pancakes for lunch?" Alexa asked.

"Okay," Keenan nodded, withholding as much bubbly joy as he could. He felt like he could explode, like the cork popping out of the champagne bottle.

"How about you, Keith?"

"Uh..." The offer caught him slightly off guard. "Sure, I guess. You got me curious about what your pancakes taste like now."

"Something tells me you won't regret it," she winked.

Alexa proceeded to pull down three identically sized frying pans from above the kitchen cupboards mounted on the wall above the worktop and sink. She placed each one on its own hob and took out a bottle of olive oil from the counter.

"Do you need a hand at all?" Keith asked generously.

"Can you find the eggs from the fridge for me please?" Alexa asked nicely as she poured a small, and approximately the same, amount of oil onto the centre of each pan. Keith searched the fridge for eggs while Alexa pulled out a glass mixing bowl from the cupboard in front of her and a whisk from the drawer to her left. Keith handed the eggs over to Alexa, who, after thanking him kindly, picked out a bag of flour from a different cupboard above her. As she turned the hobs onto high heat, she opened a cupboard door to her right, which was a concealed refrigerator containing nothing but 6 litre bottles of milk. Keith was astonished.

"Wait, what?"

"Relax, we use this fridge for Julia's milk; she's a Miltank," Alexa explained, taking one of the many identical unmarked bottles from the fridge before closing it again.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Alex and I grew up on that stuff," Keenan explained. Alexa almost burst out laughing and came close to dropping the bottle in her hand.

"Keenan, you make it sound like a drug!" she laughed as she set the bottle down next to the eggs and flour. Keith opened the fridge door again and looked at the many bottles inside.

"How much is in there?!" he asked in astonishment. Alexa crouched down and looked inside, counting the number of visible bottles in her head.

"Uh...I think about 30 litres, give or take..?" Keith was shocked.

"Julia gives about 5 gallons every day, so it adds up," Keenan explained. Keith decided not to question the matter further and closed the fridge door. He watched as Alexa began to put the flour into the mixing bowl.

"I was also thinking...we could have a take-out tonight," she said as she broke an egg and dropped it into the flour.

"Is that really such a good idea?" Keith asked as Alexa began to whisk the egg and flour together as fast as she could.

"Well...we'd order it over the phone and it comes to us," she explained playfully as she began adding some of the MooMoo milk to the mix. "Silly." Keith laughed nervously.

"But what take-out places are there and who's going to pay for it?" Keith asked.

"All these questions!" Alexa laughed as she added more milk to the mix. "We have menus that keep coming through the post and I have cash. And don't worry about what Mum and Dad will think, Keith, this isn't the first time Keenan and I had to fend for ourselves."

"It's fine, I trust you," Keith smiled, watching Alexa pouring the batter onto the frying pans. The pans sizzled as the batter spread across the surface of each.

It wasn't until nightfall that Hayden, Ian, Lily and Cheryl finally returned to the house. Upon entering, they found Keith, Keenan, Alexa and the Pokémon, bar Lupin, gathered around the television, which was playing a show that hosted a series of home videos depicting people – and sometimes Pokémon – in all sorts of amusing accidents, such as falling down the stairs, falling over other people or Pokémon, or even hitting their heads on something as they try to carry out a certain action.

"I see we've had a good time then," Hayden smiled. Keith, Alexa and Keenan looked up at the adults. Lily immediately noticed the bruise on Keith's face, but kept her concern to herself.

"How was Unova?" Keenan asked.

"Hailey overreacted, as usual, but we knew we were going to be late," Ian explained. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, we were fine," Alexa said innocently.

"That's good to hear," Hayden said happily. Lily looked around and noticed the recently used frying pans placed neatly on top of the cupboards where they originated.

"What was it you had to eat?" she asked.

"Pancakes for lunch," Alexa said merrily. "And we had a take-out from The Hammer Arm for dinner."

"Nice choice," Ian complimented.

"As long as you're all okay," Lily added, hiding her worry. Alexa grew suspicious of her mother, but hid it masterfully.

"We're fine."

"Hey, Alex, I'm beat; I'm off to bed," Keenan said as he made his way to the stairs. Iara followed him.

"I think that's our cue as well," Alexa said.

"Yeah, I agree," Keith nodded as he and Alexa stood up. Alexa turned the television off and made their way up the stairs.

"You coming, guys?" Alexa asked to her Pokémon.

"Nah, we'll be fine down here," Ryder said.

"Besides," Xavier began, turning the TV back on. "I'm not done with the TV yet." Alexa laughed.

"Pleasant dreams," Skywing said politely. Alexa thanked Skywing as she and Keith retired to her bedroom. The adults moved towards the kitchen and had their own conversation away from the Pokémon.

"I knew they'd be fine on their own," Hayden said casually. "They're pretty independent for their ages."

"But..."

"Is something wrong, Lily?" Ian asked.

"Yes. Did either of you notice Keith's bruise?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think anything of it," Hayden shrugged. "He probably just bumped into a door, no big deal."

"I hope that's the case," Lily said quietly. Cheryl became concerned for her trainer, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder.

_To be continued..._


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 – Divide and Conquer**

Keith and Alexa re-entered her bedroom, both happy and content. As Alexa closed the door behind her, Keith noticed the lack of Pokémon in the bedroom; they were all downstairs. He crept up behind Alexa and gently places his hands on her hips as he began to kiss her softly. Alexa laughed.  
"Keith..!"  
"It's later tonight, what did you expect?" Keith smiled. Alexa laughed again, but a little more nervously than before.  
"Yeah, I had that coming."  
"Yeah, you did," Keith smirked. He moved his hands from her hips and moved them in front of her stomach, cuddling her close to him while he continued to peck her lightly.  
"But why are you so lovey-dovey?" Alexa asked, trying not to laugh.  
"I missed you, that's all," Keith said simply.  
"Keith, it's only been one day, it's hardly a decade!" Alexa chuckled.  
"So?" Keith asked rhetorically, still bearing a smile.  
"I know you care about me, but aren't you being over the top?"  
"No." Keith suddenly had an idea...and he smirked. "You want over the top, huh?"  
"Keith, what-WHAA!"Alexa was suddenly lifted off of the ground quicker than she could even begin her sentence. Before she could comprehend what Keith was up to, she felt herself being thrown – carefully – onto her bed, head conveniently landing near her pillows. The next thing she knew, Keith loomed over her, tickling fingers running down her hips, making her laugh uncontrollably.  
"Keith, no!" she cried, but her laughter overwhelmed her. She had no objections to what Keith was doing, but the pace the chain reaction caught her off guard.  
"You wanted over the top, you've got over the top!" Keith smirked, momentarily pausing his tickling.  
"T-this wasn't what I had in mi-AAH!" Alexa was laughing so hard she was almost crying, her eyes watering as a consequence of Keith's tickling. Keith soon stopped when he saw Alexa was almost completely out of breath and he watched her intently as she began to recompose herself, panting as she did so. Keith placed his arms on either side of Alexa to keep himself from falling onto her chest, and his legs were next to hers. Alexa was breathing heavily as she looked up at Keith, whose smirk died down to a more gentle smile. He waited patiently for Alexa's breath to return to her, and waited until she stopped panting to peck a soft kiss on her lips.  
"By the way," Keith finally said. "What are we doing tomorrow?"  
"I dunno," Alexa replied quietly. "I'll see if the professor's seen the report I sent off; see what he says. Why?"  
"I was thinking; maybe we should just hang out tomorrow," Keith suggested.  
"What, take tomorrow off?" Alexa asked in confusion. She understood where Keith's proposal came from; they were still technically on the same day Keenan was momentarily abducted, Robbie saw his deceased father reduced to nothing more than a full scale trophy and she, Keith and Ryder seeing one probability of what happens to any Pokémon Jordan captures lying in the middle of an empty, albeit bloody room in where all of those events took place. Keith nodded.  
"Yep. What do you think?"  
"I don't know. I'm not sure if the professor will like it if-"  
"Sh." Keith interrupted her quietly, placing a finger on her lips briefly. "He doesn't have to know."  
"Bending the rules, huh?" Alexa questioned, bearing a smirk of her own.  
"Alexa..! We're Top Rangers; we can make our own rules." Alexa lost her smile; she had almost completely forgotten the privileges of being a Top Ranger, which included the fact of referring to one's superior – e.g. Professor Hastings – was, in fact, optional.  
"Oh, yeah."  
"And I say day off tomorrow. Clear?" Keith asked, playfully asserting his Top Ranger authority. Alexa laughed.  
"Crystal. Sir," she replied teasingly. Keith delicately kissed Alexa's lips. Alexa moved her hands from the bed to Keith's head, one placed gently on his cheek, the other closer to his forehead.

Lupin sat on the roof of the house, looking up at the night sky. There was no moon to speak of, but the many stars glistened in the sky above. Lupin stared at the brightest sky above him, with great sorrow in his watery eyes. He was unsure if it was his mind playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn the brightest star he was fixated on was part of an unusual constellation which, if drawn out, made a Butterfree that smiled happily at him, with the brightest star representing something around its neck. Lupin took the amulet off of his neck and stared at it; it was a rounded glass amulet plated in gold, with a small amount of silver powder inside. It was an old piece of jewellery, but it was well-kept. The depressed Alakazam held the amulet close to his heart as he stared at the constellation – imaginary or not – sadly. Whoever he was longing for, he knew, deep down, he would never have that someone ever again.

The morning was a lot more cheerful. The sun was beaming down on the city with not a single cloud to obscure its warmth. It was hard to believe that it was winter, judging by how warm the morning was. Keenan was outside at a patch of fenced up land, dressed in old rugged clothes and gardening gloves, tending to his berry patch with his faithful Vaporeon watching with unusual interest. The Winter Form Deerling was happily playing with the older Buizel, despite Robbie's traumatic discovery the other day. Ryder and Xavier each lay on a different coloured beach towel, basking in whatever rays the sun had to offer, both wearing sunglasses.  
"You sure you won't get burned?" the Zoroark asked. "You're part Steel type, you're more vulnerable to heat."  
"I don't think sunny days count," the Lucario replied. "But I get what you're saying, and there's no way I'm going into a volcano any time soon."  
Keith stood outside of the garage next to the house, which he was surprised he didn't see when he first arrived in Johto. Alexa was crouched in front of the door's lock, turning a key inside the lock.  
"Okay, you've got me curious about your car now," Keith chuckled.  
"We don't have a car," Alexa stated as she took the key from the lock. Keith looked at her in astonishment.  
"You don't? Then what do you use the garage for?" he asked, looking up at the red garage door. Alexa looked up at him as she prepared to spring up from the grass.  
"A shed, basically," she replied. She sprang her legs up, pushing the door up with her as a result, and looked inside. To Keith's astonishment, there was indeed no car – or vehicle of any description – inside. Alexa ventured inside and searched through the many items neatly placed around the extra space. Keith looked and noticed the different items during Alexa's search; there was an assortment of fishing rods mounted on the farthest wall, there were garden tools of almost every type lined around two of the walls, including the wall with the fishing rods on, several taped up boxes were neatly stacked in one corner, a blue six foot filing cabinet in another corner, four crates of empty six litre bottles piled up next to the filing cabinet and six green deckchairs carefully stacked near Alexa, who held onto a long coffee brown bag, with a little difficulty. Generously, Keith took the bag from her and closed the garage door before setting it on the ground. Alexa immediately seized it and began to take out its contents, which were mainly poles.  
"What're you doing?" Keith asked.  
"Setting the hammock up," Alexa said as she took out the fabric for the canopy of the hammock. Keith looked at the pile of poles and the fabric in bewilderment.  
"That's a hammock?"  
"Yeah, it will be once it's set up," Alexa explained. "We got this one from Hoenn, the Lilycove Department Store has an awesome hammock shop." Keith watched as Alexa began assembling the garden furniture together. She seemed to know what she was doing, but struggled with it, especially since she was all by herself.  
"Need a hand setting it up?" he asked politely. Alexa looked at him and considered her reply. While she knew what she was doing, she couldn't get it up quickly unless someone was there to help her. She was also aware that Keith had no idea how to set up the hammock, but she also knew he was offering and she could simply tell him what goes where and such. She soon smiled.  
"Thank you, that'd be nice," she said kindly. The pair smiled at each other as Keith began to assist her.  
"How come Hoenn's department store sells hammocks?"  
"They're really popular over there," Alexa explained. "Especially considering that Hoenn is a more tropical region. Hammocks apparently sell well in tropical regions, and rightly so; it's sunny nine times out of ten over there, no matter where you are!"

The hammock was almost completely set up within ten minutes with Keith and Alexa's combined efforts; the entire thing was only missing the seat in the middle. Keith and Alexa had just placed the fabric canopy on the top of the hammock when they heard a Staraptor cry. They looked at where the cry came from and, soon enough, a Staraptor flew towards them, with a Poké Ball in one talon and a Fast Ball in the other. Keith assumed it was Wendy's Staraptor, but was corrected when he noticed the tip of the Staraptor's crest was blue instead of red.  
"Hi, Mavis!" Alexa greeted, waving at the oncoming Staraptor.  
"Nice Staraptor," Keith complimented.  
"Thanks, she's my Staraptor," Alexa smiled. Being careful not to crush either Poké Ball, Mavis landed in front of Alexa. "What brings you here, girl?"  
"Star." Mavis rolled the Fast Ball over to Alexa, who then picked it up and examined it. She chuckled a little.  
"What?" Alexa looked at Keith for a moment before she opened the Fast Ball. The white stream of light burst forth from the Poké Ball and formed into a silhouette familiar to Keith. The Pokémon gave off sparkles as her form was fully revealed. The shining Pokémon turned around and looked at Alexa, smiling happily as always.  
"Hi, Layla!" Alexa greeted, giving her white and blue Zangoose a little cuddle. "You want to hang out with Ryder again?"  
"Nyah~!" Layla replied cheerfully. She turned to look for Ryder, but Keith caught her attention as she looked up at him in confusion; he looked familiar to her, but she couldn't quite recognise Keith in the denim shorts and white vest he was wearing. "Nyah?"  
"Layla, this is Keith! Remember?" Alexa laughed. Layla tilted her head from side to side, looking closely at Keith. Finally, Layla smiled as she remembered Keith exactly. She held a paw out to him.  
"What...?"  
"Handshake," Alexa replied, laughing some more. Keith carefully held Layla's claws and gave her the handshake she wanted.  
"Hi again," he said nervously. Layla nodded at him before approaching the sunbathing Lucario. Keith and Alexa watched as Layla scared Ryder out of his wits by creeping up on him and suddenly leaping at him. Xavier laughed hysterically at the prank. Ryder was panicky, but soon laughed along at the harmless prank. Alexa looked at Mavis.  
"I take it you're planning to stick around too, huh?" she asked, glancing down at the Poké Ball in her other talon. Mavis picked the Poké Ball up in her beak and gave it to her Trainer. "I'll let you know if I need you for anything. Relax in the meantime, it's a nice day."  
"Star!" Mavis cheered in agreement as she took flight. She flew up to the roof and roosted comfortably, enjoying the serene view.

Keith and Alexa finally concluded the construction of the swing hammock. It was a simple piece of furniture; the swing was a three seater, but looked as though it could hold up to about five or six people instead of just three, the frame was jet black with the canopy above filtering the sunlight reaching the swing. Keenan looked around him and made his way indoors, entering the house through the back door, Iara following intently. Satisfied at where the hammock was placed, Alexa nodded.  
"Record time. Thanks, Keith."  
"No problem," Keith smiled kindly. He and Alexa sat on the hammock and relaxed for a moment. Keith took a gentle hold of Alexa's arm as he decided to lie down, consequently pulling Alexa down with him. He lay on his back with Alexa almost on top of him. She was confused at first, but she relaxed again quickly and cuddled him as he held onto her; one arm was around her back and he stroked her hair with his other hand.  
"I think I know why these hammocks are popular," Keith said.  
"Yeah?"  
"They're really comfortable," Keith said contentedly.  
"Hmm." Alexa smiled as she relaxed, cuddling Keith on the hammock seat. Keith stroked her hair slowly, and he soon felt the ends of her hair little under half way down her back.  
"Alexa?"  
"Hmm?"  
"I never noticed how long your hair really is."  
"So?"  
"I love it."  
"I know, you love touching it," Alexa laughed.  
"It's so soft. How do you do it?" Keith asked.  
"Conditioner."  
"Ah." Alexa lifted herself up a little to look at Keith directly.  
"How did you like our shower?" she asked.  
"Surprisingly, it's better than the one we have at the Ranger Union," Keith replied.  
"Cerulean City has a fantastic plumbing supply store; that's where Dad got our bathroom designed."  
"Cool." Alexa lay back down, resting her head on Keith's chest, smiling sweetly as she softly closed her eyes.  
"So are you." Keith smiled at her; he didn't know whether to laugh at the corny remark or to appreciate to love behind such words. He instead remained silent as to not ruin the moment either way. He pecked a gentle kiss on her head as he continued stroking her hair ever so softly.  
The silence between Keith and Alexa, for the first time since they bickered, wasn't an awkward one; during the silence, they appreciated each others' company. But they almost fell asleep in the process, and it was only because Keenan had approached them, with several packs of seeds in one hand and a tub of green berry pots in the other, that Keith and Alexa didn't end up sleeping on the hammock.  
"Alex, do you know where Lupin is?" he asked. Alexa lifted herself up from Keith to face her brother in confusion.  
"Isn't he inside?" she asked.  
"I thought so too, but I looked everywhere," Keenan replied. "He's gone."  
"What?!" Keith sat up quickly, almost pushing Alexa off of the hammock by accident. Alexa calmly stood up from the hammock and stretched.  
"Relax, he's probably in Lavender Town," she said calmly.  
"How do you know that?" Keith asked in astonishment.  
"He frequently visits Lydia's grave when he's depressed," Alexa explained, almost sadly.  
"Depressed? Isn't there a GP for Pokémon he can go to?" Keith asked. Alexa nodded.  
"But he refuses to go." Keith stood up from the hammock as Alexa whistled for Mavis, thumb and index finger on either side of her lips. In response, Mavis flew down in front of Alexa and lowered herself to allow Alexa onto her back. Keith stopped her before she could even move one pace towards the Staraptor.  
"Are you sure you should talk to him now?" he asked worriedly. Alexa looked at him solemnly.  
"If I don't, I might not get through to him at all. He may resent me, but I'm his Trainer, and that makes him my responsibility; I can't just leave him there." Keith remembered the worst case scenario Alexa told him about while he was ill, and what she said beforehand. He admired her refusal to give up on the Alakazam, but part of him wondered if Lupin was a lost cause, and not worth reaching out to. Still, he thought, he's not Lupin's Trainer, thus, he had no right to conjure up that decision; that lay with Alexa and her alone.  
"...okay. Be careful, though."  
"I'll try," Alexa nodded. She climbed onto Mavis's back, who was, by now, keen to shoot off into the sky and feel the wind in her feathers. "Let's go, Mavis!"  
"Star!" Mavis darted off into the sky, quickly disappearing from sight. Keith watched them as they escaped his view and finally looked down, where he noticed Keenan smiling at him.  
"I'm really glad you and Alex aren't fighting any more."  
"Yeah, me too," Keith said in agreement. "And I hope we don't fight like that ever again."  
"Yeah, save it for Mortal Combusken," Keenan said teasingly. Keith laughed as Keenan returned to his berry patch. He returned to the hammock and lay down, almost like he did before, resting his hands on the back of his head. He smiled as he closed his eyes.  
"I think I'm cramping your style, Ryder, so I'm just gonna shoot off now," Xavier said, sitting up from his green beach towel.  
"Wait, what?" Ryder looked up at the Zoroark as the magenta energy wave coursed down his body, changing his form into that of his shirtless human form.  
"Three's a crowd, pal," Xavier said, winking at him. "You two play nice!"  
"What—hey!" Xavier ran off, laughing, before Ryder could argue with him. He looked at the totally confused Zangoose, blushing a tremendously bright red. Layla was also blushing, but not nearly as intensely as Ryder.

Jordan walked into the sombre town with a mobile phone held to his ear. The town was virtually bare, only housing a Pokémon Centre, a Poké Mart, three – maybe four – other residential houses and the town's landmark; a large dark grey tower.  
"Gabby get rid of the bodies yet?" Jordan asked quietly, so to avoid suspicion from any of the pedestrians wandering around. "Good." He looked around at the quiet town. "You know why I'm in Kanto; I'm trying to find other places we can hide in." As he remained silent, a look of quiet anger grew on his face. "Because that bitch Alexa and probably that Keith fucker found our current hideout." Jordan slapped his free hand over his eyes. "Andy, just because I just insulted them, it doesn't mean I hate them to an unhealthy level. But, yes, I still want to hurt them." He lowered his hand from his face and looked calmer. "Keenan? Not so much, no. He didn't see half of-" Jordan spontaneously looked up. "Hang on..."  
Jordan kept quiet as Alexa and Mavis touched down in front of the tower's entrance. He watched Alexa thanking Mavis for the flight, petting the side of her head, and returning her to her Poké Ball. Seeing her entering the tower gave Jordan an idea. Whatever it was, it wouldn't prove to be a good one for Alexa.  
"Something's come up. Andy, you and Gabby find Keith and take care of him," he instructed quietly. "I'll take care of the last of the three problems."

Alexa closed the door behind her as she entered the tower's main foyer. There was a reception desk next to the entrance, but there was very little behind it in the way of office equipment – computer, stationery, printers, etc. – with only a pile of forms of some kind next to the elder lady standing at the desk. The room, like the tower itself, was rounded, and there were a few gravestones at the far end of the room, almost behind a set of black metal stairs leading to the upper floors of the tower. Alexa approached the reception desk. The woman behind it was a relatively old woman with curly grey hair, dressed in a respectable black dress and wore a set of spectacles without a frame of any kind over her deep brown eyes. She smiled at Alexa.  
"Hello again, child," she said, in a kind and gentle voice. Alexa tried to smile, but one failed to reach her.  
"Hi, Valerie. My Alakazam ran off again, is he here, by any chance?" she asked hesitantly; she almost dreaded finding her Pokémon.  
"Yes, dear," Valerie replied. "I haven't seen him for myself, but I have heard him." She sighed. "After all these years, the poor thing's still troubled."  
"Yeah. And he blames me for it," Alexa said glumly.  
"He's in denial, dear," Valerie said reassuringly, gently resting her skinny hand on Alexa's. "He'll see reason eventually."  
"I hope so," Alexa said sadly. Just being in the tower was enough for her to be reminded of her first visit to the town.  
"Keep your chin up, child," Valerie smiled. "Things will work out for the both of you." Alexa smiled at the older lady kindly.  
"Thanks, Valerie." Valerie watched as Alexa made her way up the stairs, her smile gradually turning into a frown. Her hand reached for the small bronze statue of Arceus and stroked its head with her finger.  
"Arceus bless you, child..."

Keenan, using a small green trowel, dug up the sprouting berry plants and replanted it inside one of the berry pots, being extremely careful not to ruin his work by killing the roots of the plant. He placed the plastic lid back into place and proceeded to reach for another berry pot. However, he couldn't feel another berry pot. He looked inside the rub they came from, and then back at the berry patch; there were at least half a dozen sprouting plants to replant.  
"Oh."  
"What's up, kiddo?" Keith asked from the hammock.  
"More berry plants than berry pots," he replied as he stood up. "I need to get some more from the flower shop in Goldenrod City," he added as he took off his thick gardening gloves.  
"Need an escort?" Keith offered.  
"Nah, you're all right," Keenan replied, tossing the gloves into the nearby tub. "You can tag along if you want, though."  
"I ought to, really, don't want to risk you facing those damn poachers on your own again," Keith said quietly as he stood up from the hammock. "Robbie, Reese, let's go!"  
"Bui!"  
"Ling!" Both Pokémon ran over to Keith and followed him, Keenan and Iara out of the city. Keenan looked at both Pokémon.  
"Rangers can only have one partner Pokémon with them at one time, Keith," he said. Keith shrugged.  
"What Hastings doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, I'm off duty; there's nothing in the rules to say that off duty Rangers can't have more than one Pokémon with them," Keith theorised.  
"Then again, there's nothing in the rules to say that a Pokémon with a Poké Ball can't also be a Ranger's partner Pokémon," Keenan added. He hoped there wasn't such a rule; otherwise, it would mean that Alexa would have no partner Pokémon whatsoever, given that Ryder was also her very own Pokémon, and, if there was such a rule, Ryder would have illegally played the role of a partner Pokémon.  
"Exactly!" Keith said optimistically.

Alexa reached the top of the second flight of stairs and looked around. Much like the floor below her, there was a mass of differing gravestones, some with recently lit incense sticks, others with flower bouquets, new and old. Torches were mounted to the walls and provided illumination for the floor if they were lit; as it was daytime, the natural light that shone through the stained glass windows provided more than adequate illumination. The window depicted a peaceful hillside with a small residential town underneath the hill. Alexa spotted Lupin kneeling in front of one of the gravestones. She approached him slowly, and approached him from an angle that allowed her to see the gravestone Lupin was in front of. There was a freshly lit incense stick placed in front of the headstone, upon which was the inscribed text; 'Lydia. A friend forever, even in death. Rest in peace'. Just above the text was a small carving of a feminine Butterfree. Moving her glance away from the headstone, Alexa's focus turned to Lupin; she didn't need to see the tears that fell down his face to understand how deep in sorrow he truly was.  
"Lupin?" The Alakazam's train of thought was abruptly halted as he finally noticed the presence of his Trainer. He groaned in disgust as he looked away from her. "Yeah, yeah, I know, you hate me," Alexa sighed as she knelt down next to Lupin. "But I'm your Trainer, I'm responsible for you."  
"K'zam," Lupin snorted as he looked further away from her. Alexa looked at the headstone once more before looking at her Alakazam, with a wholesomely solemn look in her eyes; in actual fact, she almost felt like crying, but kept herself together for Lupin's sake.  
"Lupin, it's been seven years. It's about time all of this stopped," she said. Lupin faced her angrily. His anger died a little when he saw the look in her eyes.  
"Kazam," he grunted; he wasn't as angry as he was seconds ago, but he was still angry all the same. Alexa sighed, as if she knew she was in for a challenge.

Jordan entered the tower discreetly. He noticed Valerie was occupied, searching the desk for a fresh box of incense sticks. Jordan closed the door silently, but then proceeded to lock it with the rusty padlock hanging from the permanently closed door next to him. As soon as the doors were locked, Valerie looked up and realised what Jordan had done. And she wasn't impressed.  
"Excuse me, you cannot lock that door!" she snapped.  
"Shut up, grandma, I have a problem to take care of," Jordan said spitefully as he approached her. "And she won't escape."  
"She..? What are you talking about?"  
"I'm talking about a certain blonde haired bitch I saw entering this tower," Jordan replied, his voice toned down to a low growl. He took his blade and he held it up. Valerie was absolutely horrified. "Utter a single word and you'll be helping me rehearse my blade work."  
Valerie moaned as she fell to the floor, overcome with the horrific imagery of her assumption behind Jordan's threat. She fell to the floor with a small thud; it was so light that even Jordan had difficulty hearing it. He looked down behind the desk and was satisfied that Valerie was merely unconscious. He looked up at the stairs and approached them slowly. He looked straight ahead as he replaced his dagger back into its holster, his eyes sharp and expressing his intent to kill.

Iara, Reese and Robbie exited the small flower shop in the golden coloured city after Keith and Keenan. Keenan was satisfied with his purchase as he looked inside his yellow carrier bag; Keith looked inside over Keenan's shoulder and counted at least seven berry pots, all of different colours.  
"Didn't know you had a thing for berries, to be honest," Keith said as the group made their way out of the city.  
"It's just a little hobby of mine," Keenan said modestly. "I've been doing it since I was eight, so I know what I'm doing."  
"Is it just me or does everyone in your family have a talent?" Keith asked.  
"Everyone in the world has a talent, Keith," Keenan said, somewhat sounding philosophical. "It's just a mater of finding and embracing that talent."  
"Hmm..." Keith was left in thought. It wasn't until the group was actually out of the city and walking along the rural path that Keith finally spoke up again. "What's Alexa's talent?"  
"Not counting her ability to understand Pokémon, her ability to raise them and her ability to know what a person or a Pokémon truly feels?" Keenan asked rhetorically.  
"Not counting those," Keith confirmed. Keenan nodded; he knew Alexa didn't consider those abilities – using the term loosely – as talents, as she developed those abilities as she grew up, being raised around Pokémon and partly by a Gardevoir, much like Keenan himself.  
"I honestly have no idea," he replied at last. Keith was, admittedly, shocked at the response. He was expecting at least something very common as a talent, such as video games.  
"Really?"  
"She doesn't really have any hobbies," Keenan stated. The revelation left Keith even more shocked than before; he wondered how anybody can not have a hobby. To him, it was almost impossible. "Then again, she didn't really have the time to make a hobby; she was travelling for four years, and during the three years after that, she was helping me train my Pokémon in preparation for my challenge at the Battle Tower in Sinnoh."  
"How did that go?"  
"Not too bad, really. I defeated Palmer, but I decided to challenge the Battle Castle as well," Keenan said casually. "I ended up battling the Castle's Frontier Brain, Darach."  
"And won, I guess?"  
"Not really...we tied, so, really, nobody won. Nobody lost either, so I'm not too bothered about it," Keenan shrugged.  
"So Alexa didn't devote any time to herself?" Keith asked.  
"Not much of it anyway; what free time she had was spent reading through Pokémon legends," Keenan explained. "That's why she knows so much about them." Keith remembered her bringing Moltres into the conversation the three of them had while they were on their way to the Union Cave; he now understood how she knew about the Pokémon in the first place. But his thoughts returned him to Alexa and her apparent lack of talent.  
"Okay, as soon as Alexa comes back, I'm going to ask her what her talent is," he declared. "Because I want to know and nobody's going to stop me."

All of a sudden, the dreaded Jeep drove in front of them, with Andy at the wheel and Gabby in the passenger seat next to him. Keith felt like kicking himself in the backside.  
"Me and my big mouth..."  
"Keenan! S'up, kid, we've been wondering about you!" Andy exclaimed sarcastically. Keenan was less than amused.  
"Like I care?" he asked rudely.  
"Yeah, well, Jordan told Gabs and I to take care of the pair of you," Andy said casually as he and Gabby exited the vehicle. Keith gave off a laugh.  
"And why isn't HE here to do that?!"  
"Should we tell him?" Gabby asked; part of her was toying with the younger boys, but part of her was also genuinely curious as to whether or not they should answer Keith's demanding question.  
"Nah; Jordan's not here, Alexa's not here...they'll figure it out," Andy shrugged. Keenan and Keith were horrified; they didn't even need a direct answer to come up with the horrific assumption plaguing their minds as they spoke. Keenan was left speechless at the possibility.  
"Don't tell me he's...!"  
"Huh; must've worked it out," Gabby said simply. Keenan looked up at Keith anxiously.  
"Keith, even with Lupin, she'll be outnumbered..!" he exclaimed quietly. Keith's horror turned into absolute anger.  
"...what will he do to her?! TELL ME!" he roared. Andy and Gabby each took out a Poké Ball. Robbie cowered behind Keith's legs.  
"Beat us and we'll tell you," Andy smirked as he and Gabby released Scrafty and Liepard – respectively – from their Poké Balls. The two Water type Pokémon stood in front of Keith and Keenan, Reese's paw brimming with cold air. Iara growled and hissed at the Liepard, who growled and hissed viciously at the Vaporeon in return; it appeared as though Liepard despised other females as much as Gabby did.

"Lupin, please! Talk to me, I want to help you!" Alexa pleaded desperately. The disgruntled Alakazam evaded her gaze.  
"Kazam! Alakazam! KAZAM!" Alexa sighed shakily.  
"You're right...I couldn't help Lydia, but I doubt she'd want me to turn a blind eye on you," she said quietly. Neither she nor Lupin heard Jordan walking ever so slowly up the stairs. He leaned against the wall behind him and eavesdropped on the emotional conversation between Trainer and Pokémon, showing no emotion whatsoever, his eyes fixated on his teen aged target.  
"Look, I know you hate me for what happened to Lydia, but please; let me help you understand what happened." Lupin grunted at her.  
"Alakzam...!"  
"It was an accident, Lupin, there was nothing we could have done," Alexa said, almost in a whisper.  
"Alakazam. Kazam."  
"Lupin...!"  
"Let it go; it ain't listening."

Taken by utmost horror and surprise, Alexa stood up and turned around so quickly she almost tripped over herself. She was almost at a complete loss for words when she saw the head poacher standing across the room. Lupin stood up and faced the individual he had seen only once before.  
"Hello, Alexa."  
"J-Jordan?! How did you know I was-"  
"I didn't. I saw you coming here," Jordan explained calmly.  
"And you stalked me?!" Alexa shouted accusingly with disgust.  
"Stalk is such a vulgar word. I prefer to call it 'hunting you down'. Especially now that I know you trespassed on my property." Alexa was dumbfounded; she and Keith left little to no evidence of their presence in the house, and Keith managed to keep her under control until all three poachers were inside the house, even if it had reminded her of when the Sinis Trio held her hostage.  
"How?"  
"Keenan's Poké Gear was missing. Who else would take it but his sister?" Jordan asked rhetorically. Alexa staggered back, almost bumping her leg into Lydia's headstone; he somehow knew of her relationship to Keenan, and she feared for his life.  
"H-how did-"  
"He let it slip. But I don't care about that."  
"What do you want?"  
"I take it you explored the house and saw things you weren't supposed to?" Jordan guessed. Alexa immediately recalled the nightmarish sight of the two decapitated corpses lying in the middle of an empty room. She remembered it well; her breakfast decided to bail out because of it. "What I want is your silence."  
"Too late!" Alexa yelled. "I made my report!" Alexa's voice quietened as a sudden, but random, though came to her focus. She slapped both hands on her head and raised her head. "Oh shoot! I forgot to check my emails this morning!" Jordan considered his options; considering Alexa had already reported what she saw to her superiors, killing her would be meaningless, and would only serve to arouse suspicion. A Ranger goes missing after filing a report; Jordan refused to attract that publicity.  
"Okay. You just saved yourself from death. But naughty little girls like you still need to be punished." Alexa faced him with revulsion  
"With a Pokémon battle? In a graveyard? Are you freaking serious?!" Lupin sighed to himself as he disappeared in a brief flash of dim light. Jordan shook his head as he reached for his dagger.  
"Not a Pokémon battle. This time, I'm taking matters into my own hands." He pulled out the dagger and turned it slightly, enough for it to shine in the sunlight. Alexa began to panic; Jordan wasn't kidding. She saw the look in his eyes; he was out to spill blood. HER blood!  
"Without anyone with you, you're pathetic."  
"Wha..?" Alexa looked around hastily, but saw no trace of her immediate line of defence. "Lupin? LUPIN!?" her cries were panicky, but fruitless.  
"Looks like he's deserted you. Oh, well. So much for him; hardly worth keeping if he's disobedient."  
Alexa looked around hastily for her options; the only way she could go was further up the tower, but she would hit a dead end. With Jordan in the way of the stairs leading downwards, her only way out, though unorthodox, was through the window, but there wasn't much of a chance of her surviving a fall from her current height, despite Keith's lucky break after falling from Altru Tower to the Lookout Ridge in Almia. She remembered that incident, but refused to take the chance. She was too focused on her thoughts that she hadn't realised that Jordan was now extremely close to her. She staggered back and almost broke Lydia's gravestone when she crashed her shoulder into it. Jordan crouched over her and trapped her between him and the headstone. He held the dagger to her face and stared at her. He could see the fear in her eyes, but he didn't care. Right about now, Alexa felt her adrenaline rushing at about 120 miles an hour through her body, her heart beating faster than a Floatzel in the rain and her body freezing with terror. She was so scared that she forgot that she still had one Pokémon on hand, and she never forgets the common knowledge that Trainers carry at least one Pokémon with them for protection.  
"Now, then, Alexa. It's time you paid for meddling in affairs that don't concern you," Jordan growled.  
She already understood that she wasn't going to get killed, but she also understood that there are things worse than death. If she didn't act quickly, she'd find that out for herself, and at the grave of her deceased Butterfree no less. One thought remained on her mind; if she doesn't act soon...she's doomed.

_To be continued..._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 – Coming of Age**

Liepard swiped her large claws down – hard – across Iara's face and shoulder. The force of the attack was strong enough to knock the little Vaporeon down to the ground, landing on her other shoulder. Blood poured out of the wounds Liepard's attack left behind, some was even splattered all over the dark cat's face. Liepard looked down at her victim with a cruel smirk as Iara lay on the grass, her blood beginning to stain the area beneath her. Reese wasn't doing much better; his attacks and Scrafty's kept missing one another, and both Pokémon were growing exhausted and frustrated. Robbie cowered behind Keith, quivering where he crouched, not daring to look at the bloodbath of a battle. Keith was becoming frustrated himself, but Keenan couldn't help worrying for Iara's safety.

"At least you're getting somewhere, Gabs," Andy sighed, steadily growing impatient with the stand off between his Scrafty and Keith's Buizel.

"Liepard, finish the job!" Gabby commanded with sickening delight. Obeying her master with pleasure, the Cruel Pokémon set one paw on the Vaporeon's head as she raised her other paw, her claws growing and glowing in an eerie dark purple light. Iara looked up helplessly as her opponent was ready for the kill. Iara feared the worst, and began to cry softly; in a few moments, her life would be extinguished. Reese wanted to help Iara so badly, but he knew he couldn't, knowing that the gum chewing Hoodlum Pokémon was on his case. He looked back at his cowering Deerling comrade with so much anger; Iara was about to be killed, Robbie could not afford to be a little crybaby.

"Whuh?!" Keenan was taken by surprise as one of his Pokémon released itself from its Poké Ball and watched as the light headed straight for Iara. The light quickly formed into a very pissed off Riolu that countered Liepard's killer attack before the feline could even lower her claws, sending her flying towards Gabby's feet with a burst of green energy released from the Riolu's paws. Keith was extremely surprised.

"Kyle?!"

"Grrrrr...!" The little Riolu snarled at the Liepard, anticipating her next attack. The cat Pokémon managed to scramble back onto her feet and hissed angrily at the Emanation Pokémon. Andy spotted the newcomer.

"A Riolu? Heh, that thing won't stand a chance!"

"L-leave him alone! Alex gave him to me!" Keenan yelled defensively.

"Cute. Is it the son of her Lucario or summut?" Gabby assumed rudely. Keith raised an eyebrow.

"No. Ryder's only three, what made you think he fathered an offspring of any description? Honestly."

Reese and Scrafty were at their wits end; they could not stand the fact that they couldn't hit one another. They decided to go all out with their next attacks, lunging at each other with Reese's fist freezing over and Scrafty's giving off static electricity.

Skywing sat in the middle of the kitchen table, with a small plate of blue poffins next to him. He refused to touch the poffins, despite them being his favourite. Lily sat in front of him with Ian and Hayden standing on either side of the slightly anxious woman. The Chatot huffed as he avoided all eye contact with Lily.

"I am sorry, m'lady, but I will not, nor will I ever, speak ill of my Trainer behind her back," he said adamantly.

"She's my daughter!" Lily exclaimed.,

"Then it is her you must speak to," Skywing insisted as he looked at Lily again. "I refuse to say anything against her." Ian laughed.

"Well you can't say her Pokémon aren't loyal to her, Lily."

"There will be a heatwave in Snowpoint City before I turn against my dear Alexa," the Chatot stated. "Lupin cannot say the same, though, unfortunately."

"He'll come around eventually," Ian smiled.

"My good sir, it has been seven years since the darling Lydia was brutally taken away from him; I happen to be one of several Pokémon who believe that the chances of that Alakazam's heart changing now are slim to none," Skywing said regretfully.

"But there's still a chance," Hayden said, sounding only somewhat optimistic.

"That there is, but most of the clan believe he'll never change, period. But, if he is to change, then it is Lupin himself that must make the change, nobody else can influence him otherwise."

"That's true, but it's impossible to hold a grudge forever," Ian stated. Skywing folded his wings.

"I don't think Kincaid would agree," he muttered inaudibly to himself.

"What was that?" Lily asked politely.

"Nothing at all. Now, if we are done with this brutish interrogation-"

"I'm sorry; I just wanted to know what happened while we were gone is all," Lily sighed.

"If anything," Ian added quietly. "Seriously, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

A bright flash momentarily blinded the residents as the disgruntled Alakazam made his appearance. The adults looked at one another in confusion as Lupin sat down on the sofa nearest to him.

"Nice to see you as well," Skywing sighed sarcastically. "What are you doing back here, I assumed Alexa and Mavis went off to search for you."  
"Kazam," Lupin huffed. "Alakazam."

"Well that was rude of you!" Lily snapped.

"So, come on, Lupin, what 'awful truth' did she say to you to make you leave in such a grumpy fit?" Skywing asked.

"Kazam," Lupin replied, shaking his head. "Alakazam, kazam, kazam."

"WHAT!?" Skywing squawked out of sheer horror. "You left her at Lydia's grave?!"

"Again, that was rude of you!" Lily exclaimed. Lupin scoffed.

"Kazam. Alakazam..."

"And you just abandoned her?!" Skywing shouted furiously. Lily tried to calm her panicking husband as the little bird flew over to Lupin and hovered in front of him. "You've gone too far this time, if Lydia were here to hear about this, she-"

Ryder and Layla looked towards the house in astonishment; the argument between Lupin and Skywing even reached their ears. The weather was still as clear as crystal, but the temperature had dropped a little since Keith and Keenan left for Goldenrod City. The shining Zangoose lay on the beach towel, on her belly, next to the fluffy Lucario sitting on it with her.

"Lupin seriously deserted Alex?!"

"Nyah?!" Layla gasped in horror. Ryder sighed.

"He's lucky she still has Mavis with her; otherwise he'd be joining Lydia in the afterlife." Layla looked up at Ryder angrily.

"Hsss!"

"Yeah; too harsh, you're right. Sorry." He sighed as Layla calmed herself. "It's just...I've never heard of a Pokémon abandoning their Trainer before. Trainers abandoning Pokémon, sure, but Pokémon abandoning Trainers?"

"Nyah..."

"Anyway, as I was saying," Ryder said as he began to smile at the Zangoose. "I never really thanked you."

"Nyah?" Layla tilted her head in confusion.

"For sticking by Alex. A-and for being a really, really, really awesome friend," Ryder continued, blushing a little. Layla smiled happily at the Lucario. "But...how did you stand up to five of Cain's Pokémon?"

"Nah-yah," Layla replied. Ryder chuckled.

"Should've known. I AM talking to the dancing queen, after all."

"Ni-yah..!" Layla blushed from the compliment as she playfully – and lightly – slapped her fist on Ryder's arm.

"No, I'm serious! Out of everyone who knows how to dance – and/or how to use Swords Dance – you're the best of them all. I've not known a Pokémon to incorporate dancing into their battling style. You're amazing."

"Nyaaaah..." Grateful for the kind words, Layla nuzzled Ryder's cheek. Their eyes met spontaneously, and they both felt the air around them warming up; was it the weather increasing its temperature or was it...?

A huge explosion erupted before the pair could understand the tender air around them, which quickly blew away as the explosion echoed loudly all around them. They looked up at the towering smoke, wide-eyed from the abruptness of the explosion. Skywing, Hayden, Lily and Ian left the house and spotted the black smoke almost instantly. They were horrified.

"What was that?!" Lily cried.

"The smoke's too thin to be a fire," Ian observed. Ryder soon noticed other residents leaving their houses to look up at the smoke in awe and confusion. He grew annoyed as he heard gossiping. "It was probably a clash of sorts."

"But what if Keenan's involved somehow?!" Hayden panicked. Ian pondered the location of the clash and compared it to the Goldenrod Radio Tower, which could be seen from Violet City; it was possible that Keenan was involved, due to the fact that Keenan wasn't home and that the smoke came from the route between Violet City and the upper exit of the National Park.

"We'll find out. Come on!" Ian and Hayden raced out of the city, headed straight for the source of the explosion.

Xavier was in the previously quiet woodlands when he heard the explosion. Wild Pokémon were running past him in fear. Xavier didn't think about who or what caused the explosion; instead, he raced towards it, as fast as his legs could take him.

Reese and Scrafty crashed onto their backs as a result of their colliding attacks. Keith lifted the winded Buizel into his arms while Keenan recalled Iara back into her Poké Ball, away from Liepard. He then released the Vaporeon almost immediately afterwards and took his T-shirt off. Tearing it up, he tried his best to cover Iara's injuries with it, but there was more blood than there was T-shirt.

"Oh dear me, looks like the runt's going to die after all," Gabby taunted. "A slow death is always the worst kind. And I love it!"

"What kind of twisted monster are you?!" Keith yelled furiously.

"Believe me, pal, I'm as worried for her sanity as you are," Andy said casually. "It's like I'm working with a female Jekyll and Hyde." Keenan took out another Poké Ball from his pocket and opened it.

"Mason, Kyle needs help!" he cried as the Hitmontop burst forth from the Poké Ball's light. Mason landed next to the Riolu and readied himself for combat.

"Hitmontop!"

"Oh, please! It's just as dead as Vaporeon will be! Liepard, Aerial Ace!"

"Scrafty, Zen Headbutt!" Andy instructed. Kyle and Mason braced themselves as Scrafty lunged at the pair, mohawk shining in a purple glow. Liepard leapt at the two Fighting types, leaving streams of light behind her.

Before the two Pokémon could hit their targets, Xavier rushed in between them and swept his leg across both heads of Scrafty and Liepard. He knocked them away from the startled Riolu and Hitmontop, who hadn't expected his appearance in the fight. Standing up straight, Xavier glared at Gabby and Andy.

"Figures you'd be behind that explosion! So, what's the deal, where's the Head Honchkrow?" he asked.

"Um, excuse me, who gave you the right to barge in on this fight?" Gabby asked rudely.

"You did when you scared nearly all of Route 42!" Xavier roared.

Valerie awoke with a moan as she slowly sat up on the floor behind the reception counter of the Lavender Tower. She rubbed her head lightly as she looked around at her surroundings.

"Oh, dear me...I must have passed out..." She held onto the desk as she pulled herself up onto her feet. "Oof..! Now...what was I doing..?" She spotted the padlock on the main doors of the tower. "Oh, my! Did I not open the tower? No wonder nobody's come in," she laughed to herself as she took a set of keys casually placed near the bronze Arceus statue and slowly walked over to the padlock. "Silly me." She removed the padlock from the doors after unlocking it with her keys. Taking the padlock with her, she returned to the reception desk. "I could have sworn I opened the doors this morning," she muttered as she placed the keys where she found them. She placed the padlock next to them and sighed. "I know; I need a nice cup of tea." She walked towards the back office and flicked a switch on the black kettle in the back office.

Jordan crouched over Alexa, still pressing his dagger lightly against her cheek, and looked all over her, wondering where to harm her first. Alexa watched helplessly as he scanned her body for an ideal starting point for her impending suffering. He looked at her legs for a while; they were exposed as she was wearing her denim shorts, so her legs could be an ideal place to start. But his blade was already on her cheek, so there would be the obvious place to start. He looked at Alexa straight in the face again.

"Well this is difficult. I don't know where the first incision should be," he said casually. Alexa felt even more terrified. Incision? That's a term surgeons use when describing surgical procedures! She was clueless about how she could possibly escape from this sick individual examining her like nothing more than a piece of meat. "Tell me, Alexa. Where would it hurt you the most? Your hip...or your thigh?"

From absolute spontaneity, Alexa spat at Jordan, straight in his eye. He staggered back as he recoiled, allowing Alexa ample time to shoot off of the floor and to race down the tower. Jordan saw her escaping after wiping his eye. He snarled furiously as he ran after her.

Alexa burst through the tower doors and headed west, towards Saffron City. Jordan left the tower, but saw Alexa leaving his line of vision. He took a Poké Ball and released his Skarmory from inside. Skarmory bent his knees, expecting Jordan to climb onto his back. Jordan climbed onto Skarmory's back.

"Aerial pursuit," Jordan said quietly. With a roar, Skarmory took flight and followed the fleeing Alexa from the air.

"You can't stop us," Gabby huffed. "Vaporeon's as good as dead and our Pokémon are clearly superior."

"How do you know?! You've never actually had a proper fight against Keenan OR Alexa!" Keith shouted. "All you are is cheap tactics!"

"Okay, I'd like to introduce your face to the dirt now!" Andy said with withheld anger. "Scrafty, kick Zoroark's ass!"

"You too, Liepard!"

"Pfft, please! I can kick their backsides in my sleep!" Xavier laughed mockingly. Irate, the two Dark types leapt towards the Illusion Fox, only for a red-spined Sandslash to burst from the earth and slash the two enemy Pokémon in their faces. Xavier blinked. "Didn't see that one comin'."

"Urgh, stupid Sandslash!" Gabby complained. "Okay, that thing's dead too!"

"Keenan!" Keenan felt a wave of relief as he heard his father calling his name. He and Keith watched as an Arcanine raced onto the scene and slapped Scrafty and Liepard with her abnormally large tail, brimming in a metallic grey light. The pair crashed into their trainers, knocking them down. Andy was the first to sit up, but he looked dazed. Hayden and Ian approached Keenan and Keith, and Andy observed the gathering, his vision momentarily disoriented.

"Urgh...I'm seein' triple here," he groaned, having seen three individuals with almost the exact same hairstyle talking to one another.

"Ow...!" Gabby sat up, rubbing her head. "Andy, let's get out of here..."

"Y-yeah." The poachers recalled their fatigued Pokémon back into their respective Poké Balls and made their way to the Jeep. Xavier spotted their attempt to flee.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" he shouted demandingly. Gabby and Andy jumped into the vehicle, Andy taking his usual place in the driver's seat, and smirked at their opponents.

"Enjoy this victory while you can! Just remember Alexa's not so fortunate!" Andy retorted, starting the engine of the Jeep. Hayden's eyes widened; there was more to Lupin's story than he let on.

"What did you say?!" he asked firmly.

"Buh-bye!" Andy cackled, driving off. The Jeep sprayed a little dirt at Xavier, but the dirt missed him entirely. Everyone watched the Jeep driving off quickly, Andy and Gabby laughing almost maniacally in spite of their trouncing.

"Why you..!" Xavier sprinted off to give chase, but was immediately intercepted by the concerned Arcanine, who proceeded to whimper at him. Xavier stopped and shrugged. "I have no idea, toots, I'm just as clueless as you are."

"Jordan's gone after Alex!" Keenan exclaimed, trying his hardest to keep his sky-rocketing emotions under as much control as he could. Ian and Hayden looked towards him, Ian in confusion and Hayden in horror.

"What?!" they asked in unison. Xavier and Arcanine approached the adults.

"I don't even know if it was a coincidence or what," Keith continued. "But Jordan's somehow probably battling Alexa in Lavender Town as we speak!"

"Jordan...this is the guy who caused all of the havoc in the Safari Zone, isn't it?" Hayden asked.

"The leading dude, yep," Xavier nodded. "He's proving to be extremely deadly, and we haven't seen the fullest extent of his power. Well, I haven't anyway, I dunno if you three have," he added quietly, looking towards Keith.

"I don't think we have, no," Keith replied, with a hint of uncertainty about him. "At the very least we know he's capable of murder..."

"So this Jordan character's gone after Alexa?! And Lupin just left her with him?!" Hayden exclaimed in an attempt to comprehend the situation. Keenan, Keith and the Pokémon were all equally horrified.

"He what?!" Keith shouted. Xavier growled intensely as a faint glimmer of dark aura sparked around his entire being.

"Wait until I get my claws on that guy!" Ian stepped forward and took charge of the situation.

"Never mind him, Alexa has to be found before she gets hurt or worse!"

"So let's go!" Keith yelled keenly. Keenan wasn't so sure; his confidence was shaken up after Liepard's critical attack on Iara. He looked down at the bleeding Vaporeon with tears in his eyes. There was so much blood stained on her that the natural shade of blue on her body was almost a dirty brown, she was barely breathing at all and she could hardly comprehend anything going on around her. While inaudible, she was crying in pain, and the stinging sensation of her tears seeping into her cheek wound didn't help the pain.

"B-but Iara..." Ian took note of Iara's significant lack of health, even noticing that his grandson sacrificed his T-shirt, even though he was an old one anyway, to provide makeshift bandaging for his dearest ally. He gave Keenan a warm smile.

"Keith and I can handle it just fine."

"I'll go, too," Hayden insisted.

"No, Hayden." Ian looked towards Hayden sincerely. "I know you want to, but I think you should stay with your son. Get Iara to the Pokémon Centre quickly," he advised as he took out a Fast Ball and a Timer Ball from a pocket on his backpack. "Brandy, return," he said quietly as the Arcanine retired to the safety of the Fast Ball, through the staple stream of red light.

"Okay," Hayden said quietly. He was reluctant, but, deep down, he knew Ian was right; he had a son to think about as well as his daughter. As Ian released his yellow toed Braviary from the Timer Ball, Hayden mentally prayed for Alexa'sa safety.

"And Hayden? Try not to worry," Ian smiled. "Keith and I will do everything we can to bring Alexa back safely."

"Just be careful. Both of you," Hayden said worriedly.

"I'll make sure of it," Ian said reassuringly. "Ready Keith?" he asked, climbing onto AJ's back.

"Try to stop me!" Keith replied confidently, setting himself behind Ian on AJ's back. Reese staggered over to the critically wounded Vaporeon while Xavier noticed Robbie lying on the ground, hooves on his head, shivering wildly. The Zoroark sighed and suddenly lifted the scared Deerling off of the ground. Robbie was caught off guard and flailed his legs wildly.

"Listen, Buster, Reese needs medical treatment, too, so you're going with Keith and Ian, and that's the end of it."

"LIIING! LIING!" Robbie cried desperately, tears seeping through the corners of his tightly closed eyes. It wasn't the fear of flying that Robbie was objecting to, and Keith knew it.

"You can't get over your fears if you don't face them," Xavier said on a kinder note, gently setting Robbie down on Keith's lap. "You need to believe in your own strength; you're stronger than you think, especially since you escaped them." Robbie stared at Xavier with tears in his eyes. Xavier gave him a soft smile.

"AJ, let's go! To Kanto!"

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!" AJ screeched in compliance with his Trainer's request and shot up into the sky, Keith and Robbie very nearly falling upon take-off.

"Xavier, Michaela, you go on ahead and let the Centre know about Iara!" Hayden insisted.

"We'll tell them an emergency's headed their way!" Xavier nodded as the Sandslash saluted her Trainer. The pair sped off ahead as Hayden carefully took Iara from Keenan. The pair then ran off after the Pokémon, Keenan remembering to pick up his purchases before running alongside his father.

Alexa ran desperately through Pewter City without thinking. The citizens she passed along the way watched her in confusion, wondering what her hurry was. None of them noticed the airborne Skarmory stalking her from the sky. She eventually ran into the Viridian Forest, but she was rapidly losing her energy; she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep running, especially with the possibility of a poacher on her tail. She was in such a hurry she hadn't taken the time to appreciate the tranquillity of the forest, nor did she notice the almost perfect Kanto weather; the sun was shining and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, but there was a slight and cooling breeze flowing through the air. She tripped up on a small rock on the ground and fell head first into the ground, a Poké Ball falling out of her pocket as she fell. She sat up, rubbing her head and noticed her grazed – and muddy – knees. She also noticed the Poké Ball near where she fell and finally realised she could have flown back to Johto rather than almost running an unofficial Kanto marathon. She smacked herself purposely on the head as she scrambled onto her feet and picked up the Poké Ball. She opened the Poké Ball and released her Staraptor from inside. Mavis was immediately confused, noticing the small bleeding laceration on one side of Alexa's forehead and the traces of mud and grass on her once blue vest.

"N-no time...t-to e-explain," Alexa panted heavily. Mavis became even more confused and concerned after hearing how out of breath Alexa really was. Jordan and Skarmory touched down in the forest just behind the trees near Alexa without detection. Skarmory's eyes were fixated on the blue-crested Staraptor while Jordan took out his dagger once again.

"Star..?"

"N-need to leave, n-now..!" Alexa added breathlessly. Mavis, despite not understanding Alexa's eagerness to leave Kanto, nodded at her, smiling kindly.

Alexa was taken by great surprise when what appeared to be a silver blur struck Mavis like a drill and pushed her to one side, blood splattering over the Skarmory's face.

"Ma-!" Alexa's cry was cut off as soon as she felt someone gripping her hair tightly and holding something sharp and metallic against her neck. She didn't even need to guess who it was silently threatening to slit her throat. Jordan whispered snidely in her ear as she watched as her Staraptor wrestled against the Armour Bird Pokémon.

"You really have a death wish, don't you, sweetheart?" Jordan sneered. Alexa wasn't sure if the choking sensation she felt was because she was trying to hold back the temptation to scream...or if it was because Jordan's breath stank of tobacco and whiskey. "I'll have to make sure you suffer for that little stunt as well." Alexa stomped on his foot, making him release his grip on her. She tried to flee, but Jordan, completely unaffected by Alexa's second cheap tactic of escape, grabbed her almost instantly by the back of her neck. He dragged her and pushed her against the large tree nearest to him. Before Alexa had time to recover from the pain of her back slamming against the thick tree trunk, she felt Jordan pressing his hand against her throat, effectively pinning her to the tree trunk. He looked straight at her as she struggled – and to no avail – to loosen the forced grip on her throat; she found it difficult to breathe.

"You're really full of it today, aren't you? From that stomp, I can tell you're severely lacking in the strength department. That's understandable; you did run through about a third of the Kanto region non-stop."

"I-I didn't t-think...!" Alexa wheezed.

"That's right; you didn't," Jordan said nastily. Alexa could see Mavis's struggle over Jordan's shoulder; Skarmory was pecking at Mavis's chest wildly, creating lacerations all over her and causing the tip of Skarmory's beak to be stained with blood. Mavis managed to create a little gust of eerie purple wind strong enough to make Skarmory stagger back and off of her. Mavis tried to fly towards Jordan, but she was instantly intercepted by another drilling peck attack from Skarmory.

"Mavis..!"

"Never mind the birds," Jordan said sternly, holding the tip of the dagger underneath her chin. "You need to worry about yourself."

Skarmory and Mavis stared at each other; Skarmory appeared to be smirking while Mavis was furious at the Armour Bird's unprovoked attack, glaring at him while breathing heavily. Both birds looked up at the clear blue sky and faced one another. Skarmory nodded and shot straight up. Mavis followed him as quickly as she could.

AJ flew through the sky with his riders safely on his back. The Braviary stopped as soon as he saw Skarmory and Mavis flying up to his current altitude; he and the riders then watched as the pair began their aerial battle.

"That's Jordan's Skarmory!" Keith exclaimed.

"We're over the Viridian Forest...AJ, descend, quickly!"

"BEEEEEEEEEEEH!"

Jordan and Alexa heard the screeching Braviary and saw AJ flying down towards the ground. Jordan sighed as Ian, Keith and Robbie climbed off of AJ's back.

"Do you mind, this is a private occasion." Keith and Ian noticed Alexa's head injury and grazed knees. Upon seeing how dirty she was, and the small skid marks on the ground in front of him, Ian was calm; he had deduced she fell over. Keith, however, was livid.

"I DO mind, Jordan! Let her go!" he demanded angrily,

"Oh, no, she almost got away from me a second time, I am not giving her up that easily." Ian was nowhere near as angry as Keith was, but he wasn't going to take the danger his granddaughter was in lightly either.

"At least let the girl breathe, you're choking her!" Jordan scoffed.

"That's what you think; she ran a marathon to get here. Yet she had a Staraptor the whole time," he said calmly, tilting his head up to indicate the brawling birds. "Ironic." Keith looked at Alexa in complete bewilderment.

"Alexa..? You RAN here?!"

"I-I wasn't thinking...!" Alexa whimpered.

"It's okay, sweetie, we're here for you," Ian said calmly.

"I take it that's because Andy and Gabby lost to you?" Jordan asked. Keith sighed.

"They ran away, they got outnumbered!"

"I see. I might be outnumbered, but I won't flee. I'm stronger than the pair of them combined."

"Prove it!"

"Settle down, Keith," Ian said quietly.

"My Skarmory is my weakest battler. But watch and observe the damage it can deliver." Everyone waited silently for something to happen. For a good minute and a half, nothing did...until Mavis fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, loose feathers falling everywhere as she hit the ground with a hard thud and a quick squawk of pain. Alexa was horrified to see so much blood staining her feathers. Jordan was the only one who wasn't startled by Mavis's sudden appearance. Skarmory landed on top of her, blood stained talons sticking into her neck. Skarmory was almost covered with Mavis's blood, some of which dried in the sunlight, and one of Mavis's loose feathers was stuck to Skarmory's beak. Jordan temporarily returned his dagger into its holster in order for him to return his Skarmory back into his Poké Ball. Keith was the first to speak up.

"Y-you're a monster!"

"Think about it; that Staraptor faced my weakest Pokémon, and it's barely hanging by a thread," Jordan explained as he reclaimed his blade. "If it were against Haxorus, it'd be dead long before you arrived."

"Mavis..!" Alexa felt Jordan's grip on her throat tightening a little as he glared at her.

"Quiet, you." Keith mustered up everything he had to resist the overwhelming temptation to run straight for Jordan and sock him straight in the jaw. The only thing that secured his refusal to answer the temptation was the fact that Jordan had his dagger held under Alexa's chin, just like when he and Ian arrived. Jordan looked at him and Ian again. "So, still prepared to fight?" he asked. Keith looked down at Robbie, but he had since ran off to the nearest bush to cower and hide. There was a small gap under the bush, and Keith saw Robbie shivering with fright, hooves over his eyes. He sighed; it would be completely down to Ian to battle for Alexa's safety if Robbie couldn't summon the courage to contribute.

"We want Alexa back safely; did you honestly think you could scare us away from that?" Ian asked rhetorically. Jordan seemed to be impressed with Ian's bravado and, once again, returned his dagger to its holster in order for him to take out a different Poké Ball from his pocket.

"So be it. But if your Pokémon die, it's your own fault," he cautioned, releasing the titanic Aggron from the Poké Ball.

"My Pokémon won't die; I've been training Pokémon since before you were born," Ian said nastily as Jordan released his Conkeldurr from another Poké Ball.

"That I'll believe when I see it," Jordan jeered, reclaiming his dagger for a third time. Ian took two Poké Balls from his pack and held one in each hand.

"Believe me. You will." Ian opened both Poké Balls, releasing the housing Pokémon from inside. One of the lights formed into a large, and relatively old-aged, Feraligatr with a large scar on its nose. The other released an Armaldo with completely white lobes on its neck. Jordan raised an eyebrow at the Armaldo.

"Armaldo? How did you come by such a rare Pokémon?" Ian sighed; he was not interested in casual banter in the slightest. At least not at the current moment.

"I found his fossil when I was Alexa's age and revived him ten years later, happy?"

"A little envious, but Armaldo isn't the strongest of the fossil Pokémon, so I'm not too concerned."

"Merton, Rodney, I need the pair of you to be absolutely careful, those Pokémon could try anything to emerge victorious, understand?" Ian said to his Feraligatr and Armaldo.

"Tor," Merton nodded.

"Maldo," Rodney complied.

Hayden and Keenan returned home safely, Keenan holding a bandaged Iara in his arms. Keenan lay her down on the sofa, being careful to not hurt her, and knelt in front of her. Layla jumped down from the kitchen chair and approached the injured Vaporeon, horrified to see the state she was in. She lay on the sofa just behind her, keeping her company. Reese walked into the house before Hayden closed the front door, and hobbled over to the nearest sofa. However, he flopped down and sat in front of it rather than on it. He appeared to be fully recovered from his battle against Scrafty; there wasn't a single bandage on him. Lily saw the state Iara was in and became concerned.

"What happened, is she all right?"

"The doctor said she was lucky to keep her eyesight," Hayden said quietly. "She won't be battling for a while, though."

"But how did-"

"We were battling two of the poachers, a-and she got hurt really badly," Keenan said sadly. Guilt was written all over his face; he felt he should have tried harder to ensure her safety. He felt worse when he saw the gentle smile on Iara's half-bandaged face.

"Wait...two of them?" Lily questioned. "Isn't there three of them?" Hayden sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"The third one's gone after Alexa," he replied. Lily held a hand close to her mouth in disbelief. She was completely shocked at the news; Xavier had arrived long before Hayden and Keenan did, yet he never mentioned anything about why he came home in such a grumpy and irate mood. "Dad went to find her with Keith."

"I hope she'll be okay..!" Keenan said sadly. Hayden looked at his son worriedly.

"Yeah. Me too."

"We'll have to wait until she comes back," Lily said quietly. A loud thump from another room caught Keenan and Hayden's attention.

"What was that?!" Keenan asked. Lily sighed.

"Xavier, Ryder and Skywing are picking bones with Lupin," she explained. They heard another thump followed by Skywing's angry yelling.

"For how long?" Hayden asked. As Lily looked up at the clock, everyone heard Ryder expressing a strong desire to attack Lupin, but, of course, Skywing denied his wish.

"Almost an hour now. Is Iara going back to the Pokémon Centre?" Lily asked.

"Not unless we have concerns, no," Hayden replied. "He said her injuries were fairly standard and should recover in at least a week. But he doesn't recommend that she battle for at least two weeks."

"I see." Lily noticed Hayden's concern and gave him a gentle cuddle. Hayden held onto his wife, but couldn't help but worry for his daughter.

Merton and Aggron were locked in a grapple, neither one giving an inch to the other, and Rodney deflected Conkeldurr's concrete pillars with his claws. Given their ages, however, Merton and Rodney appeared to be struggling to keep up with the intensity of their battles, Merton even more so. Mavis lay almost motionlessly on the grass, wheezing slightly as she breathed, her blood slowly staining the grass beneath her. Robbie occasionally looked at the battle Merton and Rodney were struggling to cope with, but he always looked away quickly, whimpering fearfully. Keith spotted Jordan whispering to Alexa, trying to intimidate her further, and looked towards Ian, who was observing the battle intently.

"We need to help her now..!" he exclaimed quietly. Ian glanced at him.

"If you want to die trying, be my guest," he said sarcastically. He looked over at Mavis as she struggled to keep herself conscious. "Merton! Get Mavis over here if you have a chance!" he yelled.

"Tor!" Merton replied.

"So you want me to sit back and watch him threatening her?!" Keith yelled angrily.

"No, I want you to not die, thank you very much," Ian moaned.

"Then we need to get him unarmed and fast!" Keith shouted. While he observed the battles, Ian noticed the gap between him and Jordan; it was quite a big gap. There was also a gap between Merton's grapple and Rodney's struggle, which was more than wide enough for Alexa to run through. Keith watched with curiosity as Ian took out a Nest Ball from his backpack, releasing the Leafeon from inside it. The Leafeon stroked the black scarf around his neck as Ian temporarily placed the Nest Ball in his pocket. Ian then crouched to Leafeon's level, and Leafeon listened intently to what his Trainer had to say.

"Hudson, I need you to..." Ian whispered something in the Leafeon's ear. Keith was confused; he couldn't hear anything Ian was saying. But he did notice the smile growing on the Leafeon's face, which slowly grew into something of a mischievous grin; it was clear that whatever it was Ian was saying to him, he loved it. "Okay?"

"Leaf!" Hudson saluted Ian and quickly burrowed into the ground, making as little mess as possible. Ian kicked the excess dirt back into the hole casually.

"What was all that about?" Keith asked.

"You'll see. But let's just say if we can't go over to Alexa, then an alternate route has to be taken," he said casually with a wink.

"There may be an audience, but it will serve to make your suffering all the more humiliating for you," Jordan whispered deeply. Alexa was becoming increasingly stressed, but only because she saw her Staraptor lying on the floor, left for dead, and she couldn't do a single thing to help her. Jordan took aim at her shoulder. "And believe me...I'll make you suffer." Jordan raised his dagger above his head, ready to strike down. Keith tried to run to Alexa's aid, but Ian stopped him, noticing the earth near Jordan to be bulging. Hudson burst forth from the earth and leapt up at Jordan, landing his front feet on the man's shoulder. Hudson then took the dagger in his teeth and leapt off of his shoulder. Jordan watched the Leafeon in confusion before chasing him for his weapon. "Get back here!" he shouted angrily. With Jordan no longer tormenting her, Alexa ran over to Ian as fast as she could, in spite of her grazed knees and lacking energy, flinging herself straight into his arms. Ian held onto her while Keith stroked her hair.

"Are you okay?" Ian asked quietly. Alexa nodded slowly.

"I-I think so..."

"I'd have killed him if he killed you," Keith said quietly.

"H-he didn't want to kill me, j-just to hurt me," Alexa explained, trying to catch her breath at the same time. "Keith, w-where's Reese? Or Robbie?"

"Robbie. In the bushes, why?" Keith asked.

"Talk to him. Please. He needs to know he's going to be okay." Keith smiled at Alexa.

"Okay."

"Okay, you, you're cornered. Drop it," Jordan instructed. Hudson sat in front of Jordan with the dagger in his mouth, looking up at him with false confusion. "Drop it!" he shouted. Hudson approached Jordan and placed the dagger in front of his feet. Jordan picked up the dagger and watched the Leafeon in confusion. "Huh? Just like that?" He suddenly noticed Alexa was with Ian when he saw where the Leafeon was going. "What..?!" Jordan looked at the tree he held Alexa against, and then back at Alexa herself. He snarled as he looked angrily at the Leafeon smiling nonchalantly at him. "You motherfucker!" Hudson stuck his tongue out at Jordan and blew a raspberry at him. Jordan glared at Ian. "You! You planned that, didn't you?!"

"I wouldn't have had to if you didn't let yourself get so worked up over a couple of kids," Ian sighed as he recalled his Leafeon back into his Nest Ball. "You're a grown man, behave like one!" Jordan suddenly recalled his Aggron and Conkeldurr back into their Poké Balls, consequently making Merton fall flat on his belly. Jordan took out another Poké Ball from his pocket.

"You, sir, are going to regret those words," he warned, with refrained anger. "Haxorus!" he yelled as he opened the Poké Ball. The shining Axe Jaw Pokémon burst forth from the Poké Ball's light and immediately struck both Merton and Rodney with his claws glimmering in a brilliant blue light. Ian growled as he recalled his injured Feraligatr and Armaldo back into their Poké Balls. He returned them to his backpack as Haxorus made his way to the weakened Staraptor, kicking her with his foot.

"Leave her alone!" Alexa cried. Keith turned his attention from Robbie to Haxorus, having heard Alexa's plea.

"Haxorus won't listen to you," Jordan said nastily. "Haxorus. Kill it with Dragon Claw." Haxorus loomed over Mavis, claws ready to strike.

"NO!" Alexa screamed. Ian held her back, as she tried to rush to her Staraptor's aid. He then took a calmer approach to the situation.

"Attacking a weak Pokémon is a waste of Haxorus' energy. Just let us have Mavis back and we'll have another battle," Ian negotiated. Jordan looked at the Staraptor, then at Ian and Alexa, finally at Haxorus.

"Hmmm. You heard the man, Haxorus; let him have it." Ian was confused as Haxorus began to lift Mavis off the ground.

"What?"

Before they could react, Ian and Alexa were knocked down after Haxorus literally threw Mavis at them. Ian and Alexa were almost crushed under Mavis's weight, and were almost knocked unconscious. Keith was horrified.

"Ian! Alexa!" Keith ran towards them, but Haxorus intercepted him and slammed him with his tail. Keith coughed up blood as soon as Haxorus slammed his tail into Keith's stomach. Keith was sent flying towards a tree near where Robbie was hiding. Keith's back crashed into the tree and he then fell onto the ground in front of him, almost flat on his face. Alexa managed to return Mavis to her Poké Ball, allowing her and Ian to sit up. They were both winded from the improvised attack. Both Ian and Alexa's clothes were stained with Mavis's blood.

"E-either that w-was some throw, o-or Mavis is heavier than I thought...!" Ian coughed as he struggled onto his feet. Alexa spotted Keith straining to lift his head from the ground as Ian helped her onto her feet.

"Keith..!"

"I-I'm okay..!" he coughed. Ian held Alexa's arm over his shoulders, but the pair couldn't help but notice Keith coughing up a little more blood.

"Not for long. Haxorus." The black Haxorus looked back at his master with anticipation. "Kill him."

"No!" Alexa winced, holding onto her stomach; she used up more air than she had. Haxorus grinned evilly towards the wounded Keith, claws briefly shining white before fading to a more gentle blue glow. Jordan watched with satisfaction as Haxorus walked over to Keith, attack at the ready. Robbie saw Haxorus approaching Keith, and felt a sudden urge deep inside him. He leapt out of the bush and stepped in front of Keith, putting on a brave face. Haxorus looked down at the Deerling, the glow on his claws negating. Robbie stood his ground, scraping his hoof on the grass. Keith, Alexa and Ian were horrified.

"R-Robbie..?!"

"Robbie, no..!"

"You'll be killed, you silly foal..!" Jordan laughed.

"Well, this is entertaining. Little baby Deerling finally grew a spine. Hah! Too little too late!" Jordan chortled. "The alpha Sawsbuck fought valiantly for your sake, Deerling, but we ended up with capturing the both of you, and Sawsbuck died for its troubles." Robbie's breathing increased dramatically as he heard Jordan's harsh words. He felt tears running down his face. Regardless, he stood firmly in his place; Keith saved his life, he felt obligated to try and return the favour. "How sad; the mighty leader dies for a sappy and pathetic reason. Pathetic. Just. Like. You."

"Robbie.." Keith looked up at the Deerling with concern. Robbie struggled to keep his emotions to himself, but it was painfully obvious to everyone that Jordan's words stung the Deerling's little heart. A faint white glow flickered from Robbie's coat. The one flicker turned into a small cluster, and then to several little clusters.

"D-Deer...LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-"

A blinding flash of heavenly light overwhelmed Robbie's entire being, cutting his cry short. Even Jordan was surprised at the sudden turn of events. Everyone watched as the little Deerling silhouette slowly grew larger. The glow finally faded, revealing Robbie's new form; he evolved into a large brown and white stag Pokémon with white antlers, rhombus shaped ears, a light orange marking down his eyes and around his underbelly, a white chin, black nose, a white tuft of fur under his neck, white tufts below his knees, precisely three white spots on his back and a small brown tail pointing down. Robbie maintained his emerald green eyes and the small yellow spot on his neck from when he was a Deerling.

"R-Robbie..?"

"I...I don't believe it..." Alexa was breath-taken. "Robbie was strong enough to evolve?"

"No, Alexa. It was his determination to stand up to Haxorus and to defend Keith that triggered his evolution," Ian said quietly. Alexa felt an immediate sensation of deja vu; Ian had described exactly how Ryder evolved, albeit under different circumstances. Her heart sank a little.

"Robbie..."

"Impossible..!"

"SAWS!" Robbie immediately lunged at the unprepared Haxorus and tried to knock him down with a head on collision, but Haxorus grabbed Robbie's antlers, attempting to fight against the newly evolved Sawsbuck. Robbie cleverly flung his head to one side, thereby throwing Haxorus down onto the ground as a result. Haxorus recovered quickly and slashed Robbie's neck with his sharp claws. Robbie staggered back, but a quick slam from Haxorus' tail knocked the Sawsbuck down to the ground.

"Heh; I don't know why I was so worried," Jordan remarked. "Evolved or not, it's pathetic." Keith glared at Jordan, but noticed Robbie returning to his feet quicker than Haxorus thought he would, especially considering the bleeding wound he left on Robbie's neck. Robbie glared at Haxorus before closing his eyes softly. His antlers shone in a beautiful white glow as a yellow glow coursed all over his body. Jordan was horrified to see the deep lacerations on Robbie's neck disappearing completely. The glows faded and Robbie looked as good as new. Ian smiled.

"Clever boy! Today's weather is perfect for utilising Synthesis's full benefits! All of the damage Haxorus has done to Robbie have effectively been cancelled out!"

"No..! I can't believe this!" Jordan yelled.

"I think Robbie's ability is Chlorophyll as well. And given that today is a particularly sunny day, that means Robbie will be a lot faster than Haxorus," Ian added.

"No!" Jordan cried. But there was very little he could do; Robbie slammed his head straight into Haxorus' chest, with his antlers brimming in a silver aura. Haxorus fell flat on his back and gurgled, having had the wind knocked out of him. Robbie looked down angrily at the dragon who tried to kill his partner and snorted. Haxorus' chest was heavily bruised with a small laceration as a result of Robbie's antler having scratched him on impact. Reluctantly, Jordan returned his injured Haxorus back into his Poké Ball. He snarled furiously.

"Looks like I'll have to call it a day," he sighed as he released his blood stained Skarmory from his Poké Ball. "Alexa, Keith, I'll let you go this time. But mark my words; you will both suffer!" he vowed as he sat on Skarmory's back. With his master on his back, Skarmory flew out of the forest. Robbie watched the pair leaving and snorted again.

"Saws," he grunted deeply. Alexa carefully moved herself away from Ian and approached Keith. She helped him onto his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. Keith nodded, but his attention was drawn to the Sawsbuck in front of him.

"Robbie..?" he asked nervously. Robbie turned around and walked over to Keith with a gentle smile. Keith smiled warmly and wrapped his arms around Robbie's neck. "Robbie! You were amazing, I-I still can't believe you defeated Haxorus! Y-you really saved my life, thank you so much!" Ian was happy to see a strong bond between a human and a Pokémon, but Alexa wasn't so thrilled.

"Saved my life..." She repeated Keith's words to herself, as they reminded her of Ryder's evolution like Robbie's evolution had. A baby Riolu, furious at the man behind the abduction of his young Trainer, cried out at the top of his voice, triggering his premature evolution moments before the sun disappeared from the horizon; with the exception for the somewhat different circumstance, the time of day and the location, Robbie's evolution very much reminded her of Ryder's evolution. Ian spotted how sad Alexa looked and approached her.

"Are you all right, Lexie?" he asked softly. Alexa snapped out of her train of thought and looked up at her concerned grandfather.

"Uh, y-yeah! But Mavis...she needs medical help asap!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's right..." Keith and Robbie faced Ian.

"Which way should we go?" Keith asked. Ian looked around at where they were in the forest.

"Back the way Alexa came; Pewter City's closer than Viridian City," he replied, quickly releasing his Arcanine from her Fast Ball. "Brandy, we need to get to Pewter City, stat!"

"Arf," Brandy nodded, crouching enough for Ian and Alexa to climb onto her back. Keith was about to follow suit, but Robbie stopped him with his nose, lowering himself enough for Keith to climb onto his back. Keith was confused.

"Really?" he asked. Robbie smiled and nodded. With no time to lose, Keith quickly hopped onto Robbie's back. Robbie galloped after Brandy, who sped off towards Pewter City.

The Pewter City Pokémon Centre was extremely quiet. The receptionist sat at the reception desk, which was in front of the wall opposite the automatic doors, was quietly working on some paperwork, taking care to not disturb Alexa, who sat at a bench with Ian and Keith either side of her, anxiously waiting for news – any news – on her Staraptor's condition. Her elbows were on her knees and her hands were on her forehead. Robbie lay on the tiled floor near Keith and looked at her worriedly. The bench they sat on was fastened to the wall near several lines of identical chairs, all of which were dark grey in colour. There were several different seats on the far end of the room, which served as a cafeteria. The round analogue clock above the reception desk showed the time 04:35, and its ticking was the only sound echoing in the entire foyer. There were a few video phones built into the walls near the bench Alexa, Keith and Ian sat on, and there were a pair of vending machines – one for snacks, the other for bottled drinks – in one corner of the waiting area. There was a directory mounted to the wall behind the video phones, and showed directions for different areas of the centre, including the Emergency Room, the dormitories, the lavatories and X-ray. The sound of footsteps caught everyone's attention as one of the centre's male doctors approached the group. He looked like a stereotypical doctor, dressed in a white coat, armed with a clipboard, presumably with a Pokémon's obs clipped to it, pen in the front pocket and stethoscope around his neck. He had bleached blonde hair, tied back in a quaint ponytail, and his garnet coloured eyes appeared to be soft and gentle. He approached Alexa, and his sincere look was enough for Alexa to fear the worst for her Staraptor.

"Alexa? We've managed to stabilise your Staraptor, but her condition is still relatively critical," he explained earnestly. His voice was gentle and reassuring, an ideal voice for any doctor to possess.

"Relatively?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She's lost a lot of blood," the doctor continued bluntly as he looked through the notes secured onto the clipboard. "Her CT scan came back clear, but her X-ray has shown that she has fractured her left wing." The doctor lowered his clipboard and looked worriedly at Alexa. "She's in no fit state to be transferred right now, so-"

"Wait, you're going to keep her here!? Alexa lives in Johto, how can you-" Frustrated with Keith butting in, the doctor glared at him.

"I appreciate you're trying to help, but, please; I'd rather hear what Alexa has to say," he insisted.

"But you can't keep her here if her Trainer lives in an entirely different region!" Keith argued, standing up to the doctor. Ian groaned.

"Settle down, Keith, this isn't helping," he said firmly. "The Pokémon Centres are all connected to one another – even to the ones stationed in the Unova region, so there's very little reason for why Mavis shouldn't be kept here." Keith sighed and sat back down.

"I'm sorry."

"...can I see her?" Alexa asked quietly.

"Of course," the doctor smiled. "I'll take you through to her, she's just been transferred to one of the recovery rooms." Alexa stood up and followed the doctor down the corridor. Keith and Ian followed her, but Robbie trailed behind them, unsure as to whether or not he should be present at all.

The doctor led Alexa down the generic-looking corridor that seemed to branch off into several more corridors, each with its own little directory mounted to the walls. Despite the directories, all of the corridors looked the same to Alexa until the doctor finally led her through a dark brown door with a silver plated number 12 mounted to it. Inside the room was a large bed, upon which lay the wounded Staraptor, Mavis. There was an assortment of nearby hospital equipment that Alexa couldn't identify if she tried to, with a nurse making a quick check on Mavis's bandages. The nurse saw the doctor and silently excused herself from the room. Alexa approached Mavis while Ian spoke with the doctor in the doorway.

"There's more to it than you let on, isn't there?" he asked quietly. The doctor sighed silently as he watched Alexa talking with her Staraptor worriedly.

"Like I said, she's lost a lot of blood. We have stabilised her for now, but I've requested ten minute obs; I'm not entirely confident that she's out of the woods."

"What are her chances?" Ian asked. Keith looked up at Ian in shock.

"Well.." The doctor sighed, still keeping his voice down. "She has a lot of trauma, but... if she has an internal bleed, there's a chance she could deteriorate."

"And then..?" Ian questioned.

"If that were to happen, there would be a chance that...that she will die," the doctor replied in a low whisper, not wanting Alexa to hear, especially as he had just seen her and Mavis lightly touching foreheads.

Evening was drawing close by the time Ryder, Xavier and Skywing finally gave up on Lupin; all three of them looked completely frustrated and angry with the Alakazam. Xavier and Ryder both sat on the floor while Skywing roosted on the armrest of the sofa nearest to the television. Iara and Layla had since fallen asleep, with a soft blanket over their bodies to keep them warm. Hayden sat at the kitchen table, trying not to worry or panic. Lily left the kitchen sink and walked towards the three seater sofa, her glance set on the disgruntled trio. The analogue clock on the kitchen wall showed the time 05:55.

"Finally gave up, hm?" Lily asked politely.

"There's no reasoning with that Pokémon," Skywing complained quietly, recognising the two sleeping Pokémon near Lily. "I doubt he even regrets what he's done."

"Or hasn't done," Ryder growled. "I swear, if I were the one in Lupin's position, I'd have sent Jordan down every flight of stairs until he reaches the bottom floor of that tower!"

"Lupin's a disgrace to Pokémon kind," Xavier said heartlessly. "No Pokémon should abandon their Trainer, whatever their opinion of them may be." Nobody was aware that Lupin was standing quietly just inside the lounge, and he could hear the conversation perfectly. His cold demeanour seemed to be warming up because of a guilty conscience. He sighed. He heard what sounded like Keenan running down the stairs.

"They're back!" he stated quietly. Soon enough, Ian opened the front door and entered the house with Keith and Alexa. Reese was puzzled about Robbie's absence, but he was glad to see Keith and Alexa made it home safely. Alexa ran over to Hayden, who was more than prepared to accept his daughter's embrace.

"Oh, Lexie...please tell me you're all right," he said quietly.

"I-I think so," Alexa replied shakily. Ryder, Xavier and Skywing looked at one another; they knew she wasn't as fine as she claimed.

"It was a lucky escape," Ian said truthfully. Lily approached Alexa and stroked her hair as she looked at Ian.

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"He had a knife," Ian replied quietly.

"I was afraid of that," Hayden sighed.

"It's all right, Hudson dealt with the situation," Ian explained. Lily became confused when she saw the blood on Ian's shirt. She also noticed, when Hayden and Alexa broke their embrace, that Alexa also had blood on her shirt, but both she and Ian were standing as though they hadn't suffered from a stab wound to the stomach.

"Neither of you are harmed..? Then whose-"

"Mavis," Alexa said abruptly, understanding her mother's confusion. "She got hurt critically...she's...she's at Pewter City right now...they'll let me know when she's better." The English speaking trio looked at one another in horror and shock, but Ian and Keith were worried about her; she doesn't know the true extent of Mavis's wounds. Keith wanted to tell her, but he wasn't sure if he should; it appeared to him that something other than Mavis's condition was troubling her.

"Oh, Lexie... I'm just glad you're safe," Hayden said, trying to smile reassuringly. Alexa's frown grew a little.

"...but at what cost..?"

"Alexa..." Keith watched as her father held onto her. Keith was astonished to see the tender side of Hayden. He was even surprised to see any kind of tenderness from Hayden at all; he had expected Lily to express such feelings, not Hayden. He became concerned, especially when he saw something in the corner of Hayden's eye; he could have sworn...that was a tear!

"Alexa, why don't you get yourself into the shower? You look like you need it," Ian suggested, carefully breaking the silence.

"There's plenty of time before I start cooking dinner," Lily added.

"It's pasta bake tonight, isn't it?" Ian asked.

"Yes, with salad," Lily replied. Ian's smile grew.

"Brilliant." Hayden noticed how silent Alexa was, and he faced her with concern.

"Alexa? Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied quietly, walking up the stairs without another word. She passed Keenan along the way, and the fact that she didn't even look at anyone else concerned him, Keith and the rest of her family. Ryder's ears dropped; he had a hunch about what was troubling her.

"She's definitely troubled," Keith said.

"I think she feels bad about Mavis," Lily assumed. Keith shook his head.

"No, she's been quiet since Robbie evolved," he explained.

"Oh, really, he evolved?" Hayden asked. Noticing Robbie not being in the house, Keith headed to the front door and poked his head outside. He signalled Robbie to enter, and moved to one side to allow the nervous Sawsbuck inside the house. He kept his head down, but wore a timid smile on his face. Xavier and Skywing smiled, but Ryder was focused on how he could make Alexa feel better.

"Hey, hey, hey, who's that Sawsbuck, hm? Lookin' good there, Robbie!" Xavier praised.

"I must say, my boy, you look dashingly regal as a Sawsbuck. You should be proud, not nervous," Skywing laughed.

"Congratulations, Robbie, Keith," Lily smiled. Robbie smiled at Lily, but couldn't help but notice Ryder looking distracted. As soon as Keith struck up a conversation with Keenan, Hayden, Lily and Ian, Robbie approached Ryder, Xavier and Skywing.

"Sawsbuck."

"Hm? What seems to be the problem, Robbie?" Skywing asked. Robbie looked up at the stairs.

"Sawsbuck..."

Alexa stood underneath the steaming hot shower, with one arm on the tiled wall in front of her. The sensation of the hot water raining down on her would have felt extremely pleasant had it not been for the day's events plaguing her mind. She looked down at the water circling into the drain sadly as she recalled the events of her day; Lupin's refusal to let her help him, Jordan almost spilling her blood in front of Lydia's grave, exhausting herself needlessly, Mavis's fatal injuries from battling a bloodthirsty Skarmory, Keith almost getting killed...Robbie's evolution reminding her of Ryder's. She held her other hand over her face as she choked back her sobs; she was scared for her own safety, afraid for Keith's life, terrified for Mavis's condition, and guilty for her own deceit regarding Ryder's evolution. Tears ran down her already wet face as she thought about why she was so sad. She collapsed onto the base of the shower cubical, on her knees, and began to cry.

_To be continued..._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 – Broken**

Keith steadily walked up the stairs and reached for the door handle on Alexa's bedroom, door, but he felt another hand reaching for the handle as well. Soon enough, he realised Alexa had approached the door at the same time as him. Alexa recoiled her hand and clenched her dressing gown, just below her throat, as she shied away a little.

"Oh, hi."

"Hi..." Keith immediately spotted a hint of depression from Alexa.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I guess," she replied almost silently. Keith raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"You guess? Okay, come on, we need to talk." Before Alexa could even begin to argue, Keith escorted her into the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

Downstairs, meanwhile, Robbie continued to express his concerns to Skywing, Xavier and Ryder in one corner of the room. At the same time, Layla and the recovering Iara remained asleep on the sofa, with Reese having since joined them. Keenan sat on the floor in front of Iara, reading a small magazine that, presumably, came with a newspaper. He didn't care very much for what 'gossip' he was reading, but he thought it was better than not doing anything. In the kitchen, Lily was cutting up some salad to accompany the pasta bake for dinner, while Hayden and Ian discussed the day's events.

"Wait, wait, wait! So Mavis could die at any moment and Alexa doesn't know?!" Hayden asked in disbelief.

"She's been through more than enough for one day," Ian explained. "I thought it'd be better for her not to know back at the Pokémon Centre."

"But she needs to know!" Hayden insisted.

"I think she's aware that she could die," Lily said calmly, albeit with concern at the same time. The pace of her chopping seemed to have slowed; the sight of the bruise below Keith's eye still held her worry. "Maybe that's why she's been acting strangely." Keenan lowered the gossip magazine and listened intently to the adults' conversation; he picked up the hint that there was more to Lily's concern than what met the eye. He knew something wasn't right, but he couldn't fathom what. He mentally prayed that she, Hayden and Ian were still blissfully ignorant to his captivity.

"There's also the fact that she was pretty much held hostage," Ian said bluntly. Keenan almost shuddered; he didn't want to get started on being held hostage after his ordeal with Jordan, and he regretted every moment.

"Dad!"

"Look, Hayden, my point is, even if Mavis was unharmed, she had a hectic day. Give her a break." Keenan knew very little of what happened with Alexa and Jordan; he only knew bits and pieces, but not the whole picture. But understanding that Mavis was more critical than Iara was, he had the assumption that Alexa must have gone through absolute hell. While he was reassured that she was unharmed, he still worried for his sister.

"What makes you think Mavis is going to die?" Keith asked carefully. Alexa sat at her desk, in front of her mirror, as Keith gently brushed her hair. The white towel that was previously wrapped around her head was randomly placed on the blue beanbag next to the desk with her laptop on it. Alexa sighed as she sat up straight.

"I didn't say she was definitely going to; I just said that she might," she said sadly. Keith carefully pulled some of Alexa's hair away from her face as he continued brushing, taking great care not to pull the brush down too hard in case of any tangled areas of her hair.

"Well, what makes you think THAT then?"

"You saw the state Skarmory left her in. Besides, it was all over the doctor's face; her condition isn't good..." Keith had a small idea,

"When we catch him, Alexa, you can get compensation from him, right?" he suggested.

"I could, but won't." Keith was puzzled. "I don't want his dirty money, and I don't need it."

"...good point," Keith muttered to himself.

"Keith? Do you think she'll die?" Alexa asked sadly. Keith suddenly stopped brushing, mildly shocked at the question he was asked. He heard what the doctor had said to Ian, but he refused to upset her further.

"...it's not my place to say."

"But if it was?"

"Alexa, stop worrying!" Keith said, trying to sound optimistic. "She's in good hands, and, besides, worrying too much is bad for you."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't blame you for worrying, but it's concerning me," Keith said truthfully.

"Huh?"

I'm worried that you'll end up mentally incapable of carrying on with your duties," Keith explained. Alexa frowned; she only needed one guess as to what he was referring to.

"Like when Cain wrought hell for Almia?" she asked. Keith frowned; he didn't need to be reminded of that heartless Pokémon murderer who even went so far as to have his own Pokémon slaughtered. Cain's sentence wasn't nearly enough to set his mind at ease, as the current mission he and Alexa were on reminded him very much of Cain's own crimes.

"...yeah." Both Keith and Alexa felt the tense atmosphere and remained silent for what felt like an hour. Keith finally sighed and set the hairbrush down on the desk, next to one of Alexa's body spray bottles, having brushed all of the tangles out of her hair. He gently rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Just to let you know in advance; if I begin to suspect you're becoming mentally unstable, like before, I'm letting Professor Hastings know and telling him you'll be off duty until you're well enough. Okay?" Alexa dreaded the thought of more compassionate leave because of her 'broken mentality', as she had dubbed it. All she wanted was to get on with the task at hand, and she was determined to prove that she wouldn't let any mishap, however intense and traumatic, stop her in her duties. She exhaled silently.

"Only if I can do that for you as well," she said quietly. Keith's eyes widened a little, but soon laughed quietly.

"Okay, deal." Alexa felt a light peck on the cheek, which cheered her up a little. She stood up from her chair and faced Keith directly.

"Thanks for looking out for me, but, really, I'm fine," she said, smiling timidly. Keith lost his smile.

"For how much longer? With everything that's happened today, on top of what's been happening all week, there's only so much for you to take," he said worriedly.

"I'm fine," Alexa said shakily. Secretly, Keith didn't believe her, and he assumed she didn't believe herself either, but said nothing.

"Let me know if you're not."

"Okay."

"I'm serious, Alexa, I'm concerned about you, both personally and professionally. You have to promise me you'll tell me if you feel unfit." Alexa admired his concern, and smiled warmly.

"Thank you. I'm sorry if I sounded arrogant, but I don't want anyone to think I'm being a pushover all of a sudden."

"Hey, come on, nobody's saying anything of the kind. I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't try to look out for you."

"...I should get dressed; I'm not really comfortable about having dinner in my jammies," Alexa said nervously. "Can you check on Keenan for me?"

"Of course; you only had to ask. Take your time," Keith said sweetly as he made his way out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, Alexa made her way to her wardrobe and stared at her line of clothing. She pondered her choice briefly, but then her mind went utterly blank, allowing many thoughts flow through her. She didn't want to believe that Keith might be right about her being mentally incapable of carrying on with their mission. She quickly shook the prospect out of her head and picked out one of her T-shirts.

Gabby and Andy sat on their respective armchairs, disgruntled at how poorly their assault went. Well, Andy was disgruntled at least; Gabby was more than satisfied at the damage her Liepard did to Keenan's Vaporeon. Jordan slammed the door open, almost making Gabby and Andy leap twelve feet out of their seats. Jordan slammed the door again as he closed it, and stormed into the room. Andy and Gabby faced one another in confusion as Jordan took his seat and poured himself some whiskey.

"Yo, Jordan...you all right?" Andy asked nervously. Jordan drank the entire glass of whiskey in one gulp and slammed the glass on the desk, almost breaking either the glass or the desk in the process.

"Fucking bitch got away from me," he replied grumpily. Gabby and Andy looked at one another again; they saw Jordan's anger before, but they never saw him so furious. "I was close...so very close," Jordan added spitefully, clenching his fist so tightly his knuckles cracked. "I had her, but Keith and that old man had to spoil things."

"The one with the Braviary?" Gabby asked, careful as to not antagonise Jordan further.

"Yes," Jordan replied as calmly as possible, pouring some more whiskey into the glass.

"Interfering body number four on the list?" Andy suggested. Jordan took a deep breath and exhaled, enhancing his calm.

"No. His Pokémon struggled against mine; he's no threat." He took a sip from his glass and placed it lightly on the desk again, leaving half of the contents remaining.

"What now?" Gabby asked. Jordan took a cigarette from the small cardboard box next to his whiskey bottle and placed it in his mouth as he took out a lighter from his pocket.

"We go about our business as usual while finding a new place to hide out," he explained as he lit the cigarette.

"And if the kids get in the way?" Andy questioned. Jordan took a moment to ponder the answer, and finally said, as he breathed out the intoxicating smoke.

"...the gloves are off. Don't hesitate to command your Pokémon to attack them...directly." Gabby's demeanour grew more sinister as she took those harsh words to heart, growing a rather demonic grin on her face. "And by directly, I don't mean any of those wimpy 'specially based' attacks; make it hurt."

"Well I know Arbok will have a fun time with that," Andy smirked. His smirk quickly died as he noticed the psychotic look in Gabby's eyes. "And Liepard, no doubt," he added quietly, wincing at the horrific sight of a bloodthirsty Gabby.

The next morning, Alexa stood outside her house, looking up at the sky as the silhouette of her Chatot grew closer and closer to her. Skywing finally came into view and Alexa held out both of her hands, allowing Skywing to roost.

"Here we go. Dominic and Lucky," he declared, pointing to the black and yellow Poké Ball in one talon and at the green and black Poké Ball in the other talon. "They were both cooperative, which was a bit of a shock to see from Lucky."

"Just because Lucky prefers to be either alone or with Tori, it doesn't mean he's not anti-social. He's just very serious," Alexa said kindly. "Thank you, Skywing."

"You're welcome. And you mustn't fret over Mavis; she will pull through," Skywing said as he flew indoors.

"I hope so," she said to herself as she placed both Poké Balls into one pocket of her jeans. She looked up at the sky again as Keith and Keenan approached her from behind, with mutual concern.

"You all right?" Keith asked.

"I'm fine, thanks," Alexa replied, still looking up at the sky. "Skywing just dropped off Lucky and Dominic, that's all."

"Who and who?" Keith asked in confusion.

"Dominic – Dommie, for short – is my Rhyperior," Alexa began. Keith's eyes widened with surprise; such a beastly Pokémon...he hadn't expected someone as kind as Alexa to have such a Pokémon. "And Lucky's my Absol." Keith was even more surprised; how many more Pokémon did she have that Cain also had? His mind was almost blown.

"How come they're here, Alex?" Keenan asked. Alexa wished he hadn't asked her such a question.

"Both Lucky and Dommie are powerful in their own rights. I think they'll be able to stand up to Jordan's Pokémon without ending up like Mavis..."

"Is she really that badly hurt?" Keenan asked worriedly. Like before, Alexa wished he hadn't asked her that question; the mental images of Mavis's horrific injuries, both in Viridian Forest and at the Pewter City Pokémon Centre, ran through her mind.

"...you have no idea," Alexa whispered sadly.

"It's early days yet, she could still pull through," Keith said optimistically.

"Yeah..." Keith walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled warmly at her. Neither he nor Alexa were in uniform; Keith was simply dressed in a purple T-shirt with blue jeans and his cherished dog-tag necklace around his neck, whereas Alexa was casually dressed in a grey vest and lighter blue jeans, with, of course, her treasured emerald choker around her neck.

"Try to think positive," Keith said softly. Alexa smiled. Keenan smiled as he watched the healthy interaction; he'd felt ever so guilty about jeopardising their relationship, even though he was told he had nothing to do with it. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a Pokémon circling overhead.

"Guys?" Keenan pointed at the Pokémon, and Keith and Alexa were drawn to it. Alexa looked at the figure long enough to recognise its identity.

"Skarmory!" she exclaimed. Layla walked out of the house, holding something in her arms. She struggled to close the door behind her without dropping the items she was holding.

"Is it Jordan's?" Keith asked.

"I can't really tell from here, but it's flying around Mt Mortar," Alexa explained.

"I can't see a mountain?" Keith said quizzically.

"Mt Mortar's not a very big mountain, but a mountain regardless," Keenan explained. "The inside of the mountain is bigger than the outside."

"Nyah?" Layla gently tugged at Alexa's vest, attracting her attention.

"What's up, girl?" Alexa asked kindly. Layla smiled as she revealed the items she held in her arms, presenting them to Alexa and Keith; in each paw, she held a Fine Styler and the accompanying yellow and black glove. Both Keith and Alexa took their Ranger equipment.

"Maybe we should start wearing our uniforms," Keith said nervously as he pulled the glove over his right arm.

"What the professor doesn't know won't hurt him," Alexa smiled, clipping her styler onto her gloved arm. "Besides, we only have one set with us, I, for one, don't want to carry out my duties while stinking to high heaven of sweat and mud." Keith laughed.

"Good point." Alexa petted her shining Zangoose on the head.

"Thanks, Layla."

"Nyah~!" Layla purred.

"Right, let's go!"

"Robbie!" Keith called. The Sawsbuck trotted over to him in response and looked at him in confusion. "Fancy showing Jordan some more of your new strength?"

"Saws!" Robbie nodded. Keenan released Darcy from her Poké Ball and climbed onto the Rapidash's back. Robbie bent down to allow Keith and Alexa onto his back, Alexa sitting behind Keith. Both equine Pokémon galloped away, headed towards the destination Skarmory was circling.

Darcy led Robbie to the start of Mt Mortar, where they spotted Skarmory circling overhead. Alexa finally had a better look at the Pokémon.

"Yeah, that's Jordan's!"

"They're ON the mountain?" Keith asked.

"Some Pokémon like to hang around on top of mountains," Alexa explained.

"Up and over, Darce!" Keenan exclaimed. Darcy whinnied as she raced towards the mountain, gracefully leaping her way up by jumping from ledge to ledge.

"I-Is that even possible?!" Keith asked.

"Darcy knows what she's doing. She's done it before. Robbie, follow her lead!"

"Saws!" Robbie made his way to and up the mountain, following Darcy's pattern as closely as possible. He went slower than Darcy due to the fact he hadn't scaled a mountain before.

Andy collected the last of the Poach Balls and dropped it in the large sack that Jordan then tied up tightly. He looked up at his circling Skarmory until he, Andy and Gabby heard Darcy jumping up onto the somewhat flat surface that was the very top of Mt Mortar. There wasn't much to the summit; the surface was uneven and presented a lot of fall hazards if one was too careless. Robbie arrived shortly after Darcy, and the three riders dismounted from their respective steeds. A cold wind blew across the mountain top.

"So you came." Jordan was the first to speak up. "Big mistake."

"The mistake was letting your Skarmory fly around where we can see him," Keenan said nastily. Alexa nodded in agreement.

"No, honeys, the mistake was you coming here because of Skarmory," Gabby smirked.

"So you wanted us to find you?" Alexa asked.

"Let me guess," Keith sighed. "Now is the part where you knock us out and we don't wake up until we're restrained in that death bin of a basement of yours," he said rudely.

"Nah, that'd be too cliché," Andy said casually.

"You've proven to us that you're nothing but a thorn in our stride," Jordan said snidely. "Interestingly, that includes you, Keenan." Alexa subtly stepped in front of her brother and held onto his hand. "Now, I'm done toying around with you. From here on in, expect no mercy from us."

"So you holding a knife to Alexa's throat was your idea of being merciful?!" Keith yelled accusingly.

"She should consider herself lucky she escaped unharmed," Jordan grumbled, glaring at the protective sister.

"She's right here, you know!" Alexa snapped.

"Not for long! Swanna, Hurricane!" Gabby demanded, throwing her Poké Ball into the air. The swan Pokémon burst forth from the Poké Ball as her wings shone in a blinding light blue glow. Before Jordan could scold Gabby for the outrageous command, Swanna flapped her wings and unleashed the tremendous gust of wind, affecting everyone on the mountain top. The powerful wind was proving almost impossible for everyone, including Gabby herself, to withstand, and it was far too much for Keenan to endure; the gust blew him backwards, sending him down the mountain just as Swanna ran out of energy.

"KEENAN!" Alexa cried out as she saw her brother falling over the edge. She turned to run after him, but the brown eyed Absol forced himself out of his Dusk Ball and ran after the boy. Keith only caught a glimpse of the Disaster Pokémon, but he was focused on Alexa, holding her back from the edge of the mountain to keep herself from falling.

Lucky ran down the cliff and grabbed the back of Keenan's T-shirt with his teeth, saving him from falling through a hole that led to a river that flowed through the inside of the mountain. Alexa, Keith, Robbie and Darcy watched worriedly and with horror as Lucky pulled the barely conscious Keenan onto a large and secure ledge on the mountain. Even from afar Alexa noticed the extent of Keenan's injuries; one of the grooves in the mountain broke off and penetrated Keenan's hip, approximately near where his appendix was. Tears flowed from Alexa's eyes, but they burned with complete and total outrage. She stood up tall and faced her foes; Alexa never felt such anger in all her life. She was angrier than when Keith unintentionally insulted the honour of her deceased Butterfree.

"That's it, the line's been drawn AND crossed in one fell swoop! I am NOT going to take this lying down, YOU HEAR ME!?" Jordan raised an eyebrow while Gabby and Andy hadn't expected such an exaggerated reaction.

"A-Alexa..!" Keith couldn't help but worry for her and Keenan. He tried to calm her down, but Alexa held her arm out in front of him, Ultra Ball in hand.

"Dominic, show Swanna what force REALLY is!" she shouted furiously as she threw her Ultra Ball in front of her. "ROCK WRECKER!"

The muscular Rhyperior was unleashed from his Ultra Ball, which had bounced back into Alexa's hand. Jordan hadn't expected Alexa to possess such a titan and was mildly caught off guard. Dominic let out a mighty roar that startled even Jordan. The large Rock type rhino was only out for less than one minute and Andy already feared the beast. Dominic cupped his hands together, forming a gigantic rock veiled in red aura from the many small rocks pouring out from the holes in his hands. As soon as the rock was large enough, the glow faded and Dominic, using incredible force, threw the boulder at the frightened Swanna. Swanna cried out as the boulder shot her out of the sky and she fell flat on her belly, with a large amount of blood pooling out from the laceration on her wing. Gabby was unbelievably horrified and glared angrily at the irate Alexa.

"What the fuck?! Your bloody rhino could've killed my Swanna!"

"Open your eyes, Swanna could've killed us all AND my brother!" Alexa shouted.

"We should've done the dirty deed when we caught him in the first place!" Gabby argued insensitively. While Dominic was catching his breath, Alexa tried to run towards Gabby, intent on attacking her, only to find herself almost lifted into the air by a rather panicky Keith. She struggled to get loose from his grip, but without success. Furious with Gabby, Jordan slapped her across the face with the back of his hand. Andy watched helplessly as Jordan loomed over the recuperating Gabby, almost in the same fashion as when he had Alexa trapped between him and Lydia's headstone.

"What the hell were you playing at?!" Jordan demanded in a low murmur. Gabby looked up at him, both angrily and fearfully at once.

"You said we could, you hypocrite!" Jordan slammed his hand on Gabby's throat, almost choking her. Robbie was surprised to see Jordan being so harsh to someone who was supposed to be his ally. Jordan lowered his head and whispered ever so nastily into her ear.

"I didn't mean on top of a mountain, you fucking slut..."

"Alexa, get Keenan out of here and to the hospital, now!" Keith instructed. Shocked, Alexa stopped her struggling and looked up at him.

"W-what about you..?"

"I'll do what I can here, you need to focus on helping your brother," Keith insisted.

"B-but-" Keith became deadly serious.

"Don't make me turn that into an order!" he snapped. Alexa recoiled slightly. "Just go, I'll meet you later!" The reality of Keenan's accident sank in, and Alexa was overcome with tremendous feelings of guilt for having stood there and allowed the incident to occur right under her nose. She was breathing rapidly.

"T-the hospital's in Goldenrod...!" she finally said quietly.

"Okay, just be careful," Keith said as he released Alexa from his grip.

"Darcy, y-you're with me, Dommie, stay with Keith!" Alexa exclaimed shakily. Dominic nodded as Darcy followed Alexa down the mountain.

Alexa and Darcy finally made it to the same ledge Keenan and Lucky were on. Seeing her brother in so much pain, despite him not showing it, gave Alexa so much heartache, especially seeing the fragment of rock sticking out of Keenan's hip. Alexa pulled herself together and carefully lifted him onto Darcy's back before climbing onto the Rapidash's back herself. Darcy and Lucky ran down the mountain with great care, avoiding a landslide.

Keith watched Darcy and Lucky racing away from the mountain as fast as their legs could take them. He sighed; he never thought he had to physically restrain Alexa to prevent a fight again. He knew he had to take her off duty; there was no way he could ignore Alexa's reaction to the horrific accident.

"And then there was one," Jordan said rudely. Keith turned his attention to the intimidating poacher. Andy was crouching next to Gabby, making sure she was all right after Jordan's assault. "Well, at least there won't be any more whining from that bitch, Alexa." Highly offended, Dominic snarled menacingly.

"Watch what you say..!" Keith jeered angrily. Jordan took out his dagger and looked at it casually.

"I wish I actually made her suffer yesterday; I had the opportunity and she was unbelievably vulnerable."

"Then why didn't you before Ian and I showed up? Too much banter?" Keith asked rudely. Jordan ran his finger gently down the sharp side of his blade.

"That might be down to me trying to find a good place on her to make the first cut," Jordan replied, with the tiniest of evil smirks on his face. Keith growled; he didn't need to have a diagram drawn to understand the meaning behind Jordan's words.

"You disgust me..!"

"Saws...!

Darcy and Lucky raced through the doors of the Goldenrod General Hospital, immediately attracting the attention of the doctors and nurses wandering through the reception area.

"Help, I need help, please!" Alexa cried desperately.

"Get a trolley!" One doctor called to another as he ran towards Keenan, who, by now, had lost all consciousness. "What's his name, love?"

"K-Keenan, Thorndyke. Please, can you help him!?"

"We'll do what we can, sweetheart," the doctor smiled.

"Finn?" The requested trolley arrived quickly, and the doctor, Finn, with a little help from Alexa, carefully moved Keenan from Darcy's back to the trolley, where Finn and the nurses instantly rushed him to the emergency room. Alexa then returned Darcy to her Poké Ball, which she had taken from Keenan while en route to the hospital.

"Lucky, please, go back and help Keith," Alexa requested quietly.

"Sol? Ab-sol," Lucky shook his head in defiance, more worried about Alexa than Keith.

"Lucky, please, just go to him! I-I'll be fine, j-just go! Please!" Lucky looked up at his distraught Trainer; he wanted to stay with her until Keith arrived, but he wasn't one to defy her request. He wasn't Lupin, after all.

"Absol," Lucky finally conceded and left the hospital, on his way to Mt Mortar. Alexa sat herself down one one of the many identical navy blue chairs and leaned her head against her fists, trying to keep a hold of herself as she waited anxiously for news on her brother's condition. Her efforts were proving futile, as her tears wouldn't stop escaping her eyes.

Dominic slammed his bulky fists, both frozen over, into Arbok and Roserade's faces, knocking them down, while Robbie slammed his orange glowing antlers into Conkeldurr's torso, knocking him back, but not down. Conkeldurr backhanded Robbie away from him, but the Sawsbuck recovered quickly, albeit with a red mark left on his cheek. Jordan growled.

"Impossible. Pokémon only obey their true masters, how is Alexa's Rhyperior obeying you?!" he asked demandingly.

"I-I dunno; Alexa just told him to stay with me, she didn't say anything about listening to me." Dominic faced Keith with an unusually kind smile for a Rhyperior and winked at him. Keith was left a little surprised.

"Whatever the case may be, you'll be the first to suffer. Conkeldurr, Focus Punch!" Jordan commanded. Conkeldurr dropped one of his concrete pillars and staggered towards Dominic, with his fist beaming in a blinding blue light. Dominic glanced behind him a little, and smirked at the oncoming Conkeldurr. Dominic moved to one side, allowing Lucky to spring straight for Conkeldurr, engulfed by streams of white light.

Lucky struck Conkeldurr straight in the chest with Aerial Ace, his scythe accidentally leaving a cut little below Conkeldurr's throat. Conkeldurr fell on his back, with Lucky standing on top of him, growling fiercely at Jordan. Keith was confused.

"Lucky?"

"Rrrrrr..!" Keith watched the Absol with intrigue; Lucky looked well treated compared to Cain's Absol, and, oddly, more fierce as well. Jordan recalled his Conkeldurr back into his Poké Ball.

"I know who sent YOU," he remarked. Keith became concerned; he knew Alexa must have sent Lucky to help him out. Both Lucky and Dominic awaited their next opponents, both putting on ferocious looks.

"Well, it looks like neither one of Alexa's Pokémon is going to back down, and continuing a conflict up here will send us down the same route as Keenan," Jordan continued, glaring sinisterly at Gabby. "So we'll be on our way."

"W—just like that?!" Keith exclaimed. Skarmory flew down to the ground, just behind Jordan, as Andy released his Fearow from his Poké Ball. Arbok and Roserade were also recalled into their Poké Balls, along with Swanna. Jordan hopped onto Skarmory's back.

"I'm no expert, but if you want Alexa's sanity intact, find her before she does something stupid," Jordan said harshly. Andy climbed onto Fearow's back and helped Gabby to sit behind him. Skarmory and Fearow flew off, away from the mountain. Dominic and Lucky were furious at the retreat.

"Let them go," Keith sighed. Lucky and Dominic looked back at Keith, noticing the worried look on his face. "I'm going to the hospital to find Alexa. You three go back to the house, let Hayden and Lily know about what happened. And please, take your time." Lucky and Dominic looked at one another with concern; they knew Keith wanted a delay, but Mt Mortar wasn't exactly far from Violet City. They were about to inform Keith of that fact, but he'd already made his way down the mountain and sprinted straight towards Goldenrod City, Robbie having watched him the entire time. The two Pokémon looked up at one another once more before they made their way down the mountain slowly, both wondering how to explain the delay in delivering the devastating news of Keenan's accident to his parents. Robbie followed the duo closely.

Keith ran through the doors of the emergency department and looked around for any sign of Alexa, admiring the beautiful, albeit predicable, décor at the same time. The floors were painted in goldenrod yellow – to tie in with the city's name – with the walls being painted in a more pale yellow colour, there was a clearly marked reception area around the squared pillar in the centre of the room. He found Alexa on one of the plush seats in the waiting area and approached her carefully.

"Alexa?" Hearing her name, Alexa shot up from her seat and spotted Keith. Keith instantly noticed the look of paranoia in her eyes, which worried him even more so than before he stepped into the hospital.

"Keith! W-where're-?"

"I, uh, sent the Pokémon back to yours," Keith quickly explained, feeling nervous. "I told them to let Lily and Hayden know about Keenan."

"What?! W-why did you do that, they'll think it's my fault!" Alexa panicked as she fell back into her chair. He recognised the paranoia, but was afraid it was worse than he first thought.

"Alexa, are you all right?"

"No, I'm not, my brother's in the ER because I couldn't help him withstand Swanna's attack and now my Mum and Dad are gonna blame me for not having looked after him and-"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Calm down," Keith said abruptly, taken aback at Alexa's panicky ramblings. "It's going to be all right."

"No it's not, Keenan could've been killed and my parents are going to hold me responsible, and they don't even know about his last close call with Jordan, and-" Alexa stopped as soon as she felt Keith pulling her out of the chair. He held onto her arms and looked straight into her eyes.

"Alexa! Try to keep calm, okay? You're not doing anyone any favours, least of all you, okay?" Alexa just stared at him. Keith was worried for her, she knew that; but she also knew he was trying to keep calm for her sake. Though how could she keep calm with the possibility of her brother dying lingering in her head? She loved her brother to pieces, how could she even begin to imagine the prospect of a life without her baby brother? Her tears kept on flowing down her face. Keith pulled her close to him and gave her a cuddle, but Alexa was too afraid to return his hug.

"Alexa?" The teens heard the voice of a senior woman and faced the doctor. Aside from the stereotypical white doctor's coat, she looked pretty out of the ordinary for a doctor; her fiery red hair was tied in a ponytail, she wore fashionable frameless glasses over her topaz eyes, her ID card, with the name Vicki Langdon next to a profile picture of the doctor herself, hung around her neck, over her pink turtleneck sweatshirt and her black leggings only went down to her knees, with grey knee high socks covering the rest of her legs, leaving her knees the only parts of her legs exposed. She oddly wore sports trainers on her feet. Alexa immediately recognised the doctor.

"D-Doctor Langdon! How is he?!" she asked desperately. Vicki sighed.

"It's...not good, I'm afraid," she replied regretfully. Keith placed his arm on Alexa's back.

"Can you be more specific?" Keith asked.

"Sorry, you are..?"

"Her colleague stroke boyfriend," Keith answered quickly.

"Oh, okay, sorry. Well, I'm afraid there were...complications in his treatment," Vicki elaborated. "The rock fragment penetrated his appendix and has inflamed, we've just sent him off to Theatre." Alexa could not believe what she'd heard; Keenan's accident was worse than she thought. Her guilt intensified. Keith was distraught.

"Theatre!?"

"If we don't remove his appendix, his condition will worsen and he could die," Vicki added reluctantly. "But we are absolutely confident that the appendectomy will be a success – being a common procedure – and will help your brother, Alexa, try to keep your chin up." How could she? Alexa found out her brother could die and she was told to keep her chin up?! She felt something snap inside of her.

Keith and Alexa heard the doors of the ED opening, and saw Lily and Hayden running steadily towards them. Alexa suddenly brushed passed Vicki and fled out of sight. Keith was dumbfounded, yet concerned.

"Alexa?!"

"Alexa!" Hayden called. But she disappeared from the reception area, fleeing to nobody knows where. He sighed.

"What's wrong, Vicki?" Lily asked, trying to contain her despair as much as possible. Vicki sighed.

"I've just explained to Alexa that Keenan's been sent to Theatre," she replied hesitantly.

"T-Theatre?!" Hayden questioned in horror.

"It's a simple procedure, Hayden," Vicki added nervously. "But I really don't think Alexa's coping, Lily, she's been behaving strangely since she arrived in the ED."

"Thank you," Lily said politely. Vicki smiled.

"Shall we go to the Relatives' Room? There's no sense in waiting around here," she suggested as she escorted Hayden, Lily and Keith towards the more private waiting area.

Alexa ran into the entirely vacant ladies' lavatory and closed the door behind her. She raced into the farthest cubicle and locked herself in. Inside, she leaned against the wall and eventually fell onto the floor, hyperventilating throughout. She clutched her head with both hands, many thoughts and memories plaguing her mind. She was wide-eyed, yet her pupils were very small, and tears refused to cease escaping her eyes. She was clearly under great stress, and that was putting it kindly.

The Relatives' Room was a more relaxed environment compared to the rest of the hospital. There were two identical green three seater sofas parallel to one another, with four other green single sofas, also parallel to one another, with a rounded coffee table next to one of them. There was a squared coffee table in the centre of the room, and a water cooler in one corner of the room. Like the rest of the hospital, the walls were painted in a pale yellow colour, but the floor was a soft blue carpet. Hayden sat anxiously next to his wife, while Keith leaned against the wall near the water cooler. Everyone stayed silent until they heard a knock on the door and saw a male doctor entering the room. He wore the typical blue hospital scrubs, but his ebony black hair was all over the place, as though he walked through a hedge backwards.

"Hayden, hi, just to-"

"Is he all right, Mark?" Hayden asked abruptly.

"W-well, I was just about to tell you that," Mark said nervously. "Yes, the procedure went well, and he's in recovery as we speak." He looked around the room in confusion, and recognised Alexa's absence. "If I see Alexa, I'll let you know."

"Thank you," Hayden said unenthusiastically. Mark nodded and left the room quietly. Lily and Keith were extremely relieved, even though Keith wasn't sure how Hayden and Lily were acquainted with the doctors he met so far.

"Where did Alexa run off to..?" Keith asked worriedly.

"I'll go find her," Hayden stated.

"No, I should," Lily said politely, standing up quickly. "She's most likely in the ladies' anyway."Hayden nodded and Lily quietly left the room, leaving Hayden and Keith alone. Hayden sighed as he leaned back in his seat.

"Why did she even run away in the first place..?" he asked worriedly. Keith sighed as he sat on the sofa in front of Hayden.

"She thinks you and Lily are going to blame her for Keenan's accident," he replied hesitantly. Hayden looked at Keith in horror.

"What?!"

"I'm worried; she's really taking this badly." Keith took a deep breath and sighed, dreading the decision he was about to take. "She's getting unstable, I'm going to tell Professor Hastings that she's not fit to work for a while." Hayden was as much in disbelief as Alexa was when she first heard the proposal.

"It's like Cain all over again! Only worse!" He sighed. "But why is she afraid of her mother and I blaming her..? We know it was an accident, Robbie explained it all."

"But it was caused by Gabby's Swanna...Hurricane, I think the move was called," Keith said quietly.

"Therefore, Alexa has nothing to be guilty about," Hayden said worriedly.

"She feels she should have looked after Keenan better," Keith said quietly. "She feels responsible for what happened, being his older sister, and she feels she's let him down."

Lily silently entered the ladies' lavatory and closed the door behind her just as silently. The whole room looked like what you'd expect a public restroom to look like; one side of the room had four cubicles, each with an identical toilet inside, while the other had a line of four sinks in front of one large mirror, with several soap dispensers next to the taps. There was a blow dryer mounted to the wall next to the sinks, with several posters stuck to the same wall, all of them laminated for protection against any stray drops of water that might happen to hit them. The posters depicted different advertisements, most about medical help for certain things, such as quit smoking and drinking alcohol responsibly, but there were also general posters, such as stopping discrimination. The saddening sound of Alexa's sobbing echoed throughout the room. Lily silently locked the door, preventing anyone from disturbing her and Alexa. She walked carefully over to the farthest cubicle and stood in front of the door.

"Alexa, honey?"

"J-just say it!" Alexa wept. Lily was bewildered at Alexa's bluntness, but was even more confused as to what she meant.

"Say what, darling?"

"Keenan got hurt b-because I-I couldn't keep my eye on him! A-and I told Keith I'd be more vigilant..!" Lily grew troubled; she had no idea when she said such a thing to Keith, but assumed it was said when the pair were disputing.

"Sweetie, nobody blames you for what happened, it was an accident," she said kindly. "If anyone's blaming you, honey, it's yourself."

"Like Lupin blames me for Lydia I bet..!"

"No, I-" Lily sighed. "Alexa, open the door, we need to talk."

"A-About this or your suspicion?" Alexa asked tearfully.

"What?" Lily asked in puzzlement.

"I-I know you saw the bruise on Keith's face! T-that was me!" Alexa confessed sadly. Lily held a hand over her mouth in sheer shock.

"What..?"

"H-He said he won't report me, but h-he made me really angry, a-and he lost Keenan that day..!" Alexa lost herself in her own tears before she could confess to her mother about Keenan having been held hostage while she, Hayden and Ian were in the Unova region.

"...I knew something was wrong..." Lily whispered to herself. Alexa's sobbing intensified slightly. Lily wiped a tear from her eye.

"Keenan's going to be fine, sweetheart, you have no reason to worry about him any more." Lily hoped her daughter could hear her over her sobbing. "You're stressed because of what happened to you and Mavis yesterday, on top of Lupin not listening to you. You just need to take things easy at the moment, that's all. Why don't you come out? Your father's worried about you, and so is Keith."

"H-He'll tell the Professor I'm losing my mind again! I-I'm not a lunatic!" Alexa cried.

"Nobody's saying that you are, sweetheart, you just need a little time off to-"

"No!" Alexa screamed. "I-I've had enough compassionate leave or sick leave or whatever it was for one lifetime!"

"Alexa..."

"I-I don't want anyone to think I-I can't handle the case!" Alexa wept sorrowfully. Lily was touched, but not in a way she wanted; she pitied her daughter, and part of her understood her refusal for compassionate leave. Her instincts, however, told her Alexa needed it. Badly.

"Right now, sweetie, I don't think you can. Please, come out of there; we need to talk about this." Lily put on a warm smile. "But I promise you, nobody's angry with you, or even at all. Yes, we are worried for your brother, but we're worried about you as well. Please, baby, let us help you."

It took a minute or two for Lily to see a reaction to her genuinely heartfelt words. The door unlocked with a little click and Alexa opened it slowly, walking out of the cubicle as she pulled the door open. Before she did anything else, Alexa flung herself at her mother and sobbed in her arms. Lily was more than ready for the sudden embrace, holding her crying daughter gently in her arms. Lily remained silent, and allowed Alexa to cry as much as she felt she needed to, with no fear of anyone else ruining disturbing them.

_To be continued..._


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 – Reflection**

Keith sat on one of the sofas in the relatives' room, completely alone. Hayden had left the room when the doctor arrived to tell him his wife had located his daughter, as well as wanting to have a word with him and Lily about Keenan's condition. Keith had decided to stay behind to inform Professor Hastings via a video communication on his styler – a feature that was an upgrade of the voicemail system, which the Professor had decided to install onto the Fine Stylers – in private. Keith had just finished explaining to the professor the shocking turn of events that took place on Mt Mortar, but not before telling him exactly what took place a mere 24 hours beforehand. Professor Hastings was silent as he comprehended the news he had heard from the young Top Ranger.

"...I see. I... I am truly sorry," he apologised solemnly.

"The doctor says he'll be out of hospital by the end of the week," Keith said.

"That is good news," Hastings smiled. "And how is Alexa coping?" The professor's smile was short lived as he noticed the concern plastered to Keith's face.

"She...isn't."

"Hmm. I'm not surprised; we are talking about her younger brother, and she was in hysterics when he returned from Almia Castle." Keith hadn't wanted to be reminded of that moment; Keenan had returned from Almia Castle with Wendy, the Flying Top Ranger, but they were both injured after an encounter with the monstrous Pokémon murderer Cain, in which their efforts to prevent him from capturing the legendary golem Regice were all for nought. The outcome was very similar to Lily and Sven's encounter with the lad, only they failed to protect Registeel from the same fate as Regice and Regirock. Keith was fortunate he, Alexa and Hayden protected Regigigas – the 'master' of the golems – from death.

"Professor, I'm going to keep Alexa off duty until Keenan's out of hospital," Keith said firmly. The professor recognised that Keith was not going to take no for an answer.

"Hmm. Sounds reasonable. Make sure she gets plenty of rest in the meantime," he said.

"Undoubtedly," Keith complied. "I'll take care of her."

"I don't doubt that. I appreciate you telling me all of this, Keith. I will pass this on to Erma." Keith nodded. "Take care."

And with that, Hastings ceased the communication. Keith closed his styler and leaned back in the sofa, sighing as he did so. He began to think of today's events.

Alexa sat at a chair next to a large hospital bed in one of the hospital's recovery rooms. The room looked quaint; the walls were painted in a pale goldenrod yellow – matching the name of the city the hospital was in, with a deep brown laminate floor underneath everyone and everything in the room. The curtains were of a translucent lilac, with a white vase of fake flowers, all of different colours, on the window sill. On the far end of the room was a small wardrobe, presumably for housing a patient's clothes and/or personal belongings while they recovered. A rounded analogue clock hung on the wall, which read '7:35' as the time, with the little square on the face reading 'PM'. It wasn't even 8pm, yet the sky outside was so dark it felt later than it was. It felt especially late for Alexa; all of her panicking, her stressing and her tears wore her out, and looked dreadfully sleep-deprived, even though she wasn't. She stared sadly at her unconscious brother, who seemed to lay peacefully under the covers of the bed, oxygen mask over his face. His arms lay on top of the covers, an IV drip feeding through the tubes connected to the appropriate vein on his right arm. Alexa held Keenan's left hand, careful not to damage his hospital wristband, which displayed his name; 'Keenan L Thorndyke'. Mark, the doctor who'd informed Hayden and Lily of the success of Keenan's surgery, was near the doorway, speaking to Alexa's parents about the boy's condition and what course of action he'll be taking while Keenan recovers. But Alexa paid the conversation little to no heed; she was too grossed into her guilt over her inability to protect him from harm. She didn't look up until she felt the gentle hand of her mother stroking the back of her head.

"Alexa? Sweetheart, we should go," Lily said softly. Alexa shook her head slowly in defiance.

"Lexie..." Hayden worried for his daughter.

"I can't leave him," Alexa said quietly. Mark overlooked the conversation with worry. Lily knelt down to Alexa's level.

"There's nothing you can do for him now," she said kindly. Alexa still refused to leave her brother's side.

"Your mother's right," Hayden said shakily, trying not to let his own worry for his son get in the way of him. "Don't worry, h-he's going to be fine." Alexa knew Hayden was as worried for Keenan as she was, and understood he was trying to make her feel better. But she still refused to move.

"Come on, sweetie, your brother wouldn't want you to wait up on him," Lily said gently. Alexa truly didn't want to leave Keenan alone, but, deep down, she knew Lily was right. Her grip on her brother's hand eventually loosened. "Come on."

Alexa stood up, with Lily supporting her as she stood up. She escorted her daughter away from the hospital bed, Alexa keeping her sights on Keenan the whole time, tears beginning to escape her eyes.

"Like I said, we'll check on him every half hour. Why don't you come and visit tomorrow?" Mark's voice bypassed Alexa completely, but she felt Hayden taking her hand in his as everyone left the room.

Jordan opened the door to the house with a huge kick as he, Andy and Gabby entered. Andy closed the door behind him as Jordan dragged the large sack towards the basement door. As Gabby entered the lounge, she glanced back at Jordan, who gave her the coldest glare she had ever seen from him. Andy looked at the flinching Gabby and the glaring Jordan, and looked frustrated with his boss. Jordan made his way into the basement, slamming the door behind him. The door slammed so hard, Gabby almost jumped up onto the ceiling with fright. She had become quick to fear after Jordan's backhand left a bruise on her cheek, underneath her eye and close to her nose.

"Yeesh!" Andy complained. "It was his call to leave, why is he so-"

"He hates me right now," Gabby said quietly as she sat on the sofa she usually sat on. Andy noticed she was sitting on the edge of her seat for a change.

"I dunno. I still think he's taking his anger out on you," he said, looking at the basement door angrily. "He was bloody furious when Alexa got away from him."

"Andy?" Gabby asked shakily. Andy looked back at Gabby in confusion.

"S'up?"

"...d-do you think I'm a slut?" she asked sadly. Andy's eyes widened.

"What? Did Jordan say that?" he asked. Gabby nodded sadly as her eyes began to flood with tears; Jordan's 'punishment' terrified her more than she thought. Andy glared furiously at the basement door.

"No, I don't," he said simply. Gabby looked up at him in confusion. "I think you're a bloodthirsty psychopath, but you're not sleeping with everything with a Y chromosome, so-"

"And I don't want to," Gabby said quickly. "I just flirt because it's fun..." Andy smiled at Gabby.

"There, y'see? Harmless! Except when you're doing your thing with the Pokémon and the chainsaw, but that's besides the point..." Gabby giggled a little at Andy's comment. "You're not a slut, Gabs. That's all that counts." Gabby's happiness died quickly.

"Still...I shouldn't have had Swanna use Hurricane..."

"Gabs, it's done. It's a dead horse, and you know what they say about dead horses. Jordan won't be mad at you forever."

Gabby sighed silently. Instead of sitting in his own sofa, Andy sat next to Gabby and wrapped his arm around her. Gabby rested her head on his shoulder. Andy didn't mind; he was more than happy to be there for her.

Keith lay peacefully in Alexa's bed, sound asleep, but Alexa sat at her laptop, reading the email she had forgotten to read before she made her way to Lavender Tower.

"Alexa. I am impressed Keith and yourself were able to document all of this evidence. At the same time, however, I wish you hadn't had to. I sincerely hope you and Keith are still capable of carrying on with your mission, and request that you both inform me if you feel you cannot continue. Good luck. Hastings. P.S. Erma sends you both her regards."

The small digital clock on the bottom right hand corner of her desktop read '03:08'. Alexa looked more sleep-deprived compared to when she was at the hospital. She closed her email programme and opened up her Internet browser, plugging in her headphones into the laptop as she opened up a video sharing website. Before she did anything else, she looked back at her bed, noticing how content Keith looked in his sleep. Alexa, however, shook her head and opened up a playlist on the video sharing website.

Keith woke up the next morning with a gentle yawn as he stretched. When he opened his eyes properly, he noticed Alexa slumping over her desk, with a video playing silently on the laptop in front of her. Her headphones were around her neck, as if they fell from her head some time since Alexa began watching videos on the Internet. He looked at her side of the bed and felt it with his hand; cold. Keith got out of bed and approached Alexa. Keith wore nothing but a pair of black pyjama pants over his boxers, whereas Alexa wore her lilac pyjamas. He nudged Alexa gently.

"Alexa? Alexa, wake up," he said quietly. Alexa began to stir, moaning as she awoke.

"Mmmnn...mn'uh, wha...?"

"...have you been up all night?" Keith asked worriedly.

"Couldn't sleep," Alexa said groggily. "Every time I tried to sleep, all I could see was Keenan falling down the cliff." Keith looked at the video she was allegedly watching while he slept; it was one video of a small series of videos called a 'Let's Play', with the video game in question being a Pokémon RPG, in which there were two Pokémon – one being a Shinx, the other a Vulpix – battling their way through a plain looking dungeon with a Bidoof NPC as their ally. The trio were supposedly travelling through a dungeon in a mountain. Keith looked back at Alexa.

"And you thought staying up all night would help?"

"Dunno..." Keith sighed as he took control of the mouse next to the laptop.

"Alexa, you're not doing yourself any favours by watching random videos on the Internet in the early hours of the morning," he said as he closed the Internet browser and commanded the laptop to shut down. "You need to rest."

"But I-"

"Nope, no arguing, come on, up you get," Keith said quickly, helping Alexa out of her seat. The laptop powered off.

"Keith..!"

"Nope, you're staying right here and actually getting some sleep."

"But-" Keith stepped in front of her and looked at her straight in the eye. Not that he needed to see the dark circles under her eyes to recognised she needed proper rest.

"Hey. I'm asking you nicely, don't make me order you." Alexa looked away from Keith; she was still feeling terrible for what happened with Keenan. Keith grew worried. "Come on, babe, you need it."

"...okay." Keith smiled sweetly; he was glad she decided to do the right thing.

"Good girl."

Keith escorted her to the bed and helped her onto it. Keith made his way to the wardrobe to change into his uniform while Alexa tried to make herself comfortable. It took her a few seconds for her to finally get comfy, and Keith, by then, already had his shorts on, and was putting on his white and black shirt when Alexa began to speak.

"Keith?"

"M'yes?" Keith asked as he zipped up his shirt.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Keith froze where he stood. He hadn't thought to tell Alexa about his own family; he was too busy appreciating hers. He decided to answer quickly, in case his silence gave Alexa more to worry, and that was the last thing he wanted.

"No. It was just me. So...I can't imagine how you're feeling right now," he said as he placed his red jacket on. "Why do you ask?"

"Curious." With only his boots to put on, Keith walked over to Alexa and smiled down at her.

"Just get some sleep, okay? Skywing's going to be on hand if you need anything. But if you need to talk, I have my styler. Okay, Kitten?" Alexa nodded slowly, her tiredness finally catching up with her. "Get some sleep, babe..."

Keith noticed Alexa already fell asleep before he had told her to. He smiled kindly and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. He proceeded to put his boots on his feet and silently left the room, picking up his styler on his way out. He looked back at Alexa before closing the door behind him silently. As soon as the door closed, Lupin appeared in the room in a small flash of light. He approached Alexa and looked at her with guilt and regret written all over his face.

Keith made his way down the stairs. Robbie and Reese were lying unenthusiastically on the carpet with Layla, Ryder, Xavier and Lucky. Skywing was roosting on a shelf near the television and watched as Keith approached the kitchen, where Lily was preparing breakfast. Ian was reading the morning's newspaper, but had acknowledged Keith's arrival.

"Morning, Keith," he said politely. Hayden noticed Alexa's absence.

"Is Alexa still in bed?" he asked.

"Just gone," Keith replied. Lily faced him with surprise.

"She...she's been up all night?"

"Yeah, her laptop was on," Keith nodded. Hayden sighed.

"Still worried for her brother, I take it?"

"So are you," Ian remarked. Hayden knew his father was correct, but hid his worry as best he could.

"Keenan's only had his appendix out, he hasn't broken anything!"

"And he was very lucky not to have broken anything," Skywing commented. "Regardless of the severity of the accident, it does not change the fact that Alexa is worried about him."

"Hayden, I know you're as worried as Lexie is. But she was there when it happened, so she's probably feeling guilty as well as worried. Remember that." Hayden sighed almost silently.

"Yeah...I know..." Keith made his way to the front door, which confused Lily.

"Keith, where're you going?" Hayden and Ian watched Keith as he stood at the front door, hand on the handle.

"Patrol. I want to see if I can find Jordan," he explained simply.

"But-" Keith had already left the house before Lily could argue. Robbie stood up and followed Keith out the door, Reese riding on the Sawsbuck's head. Being the one with paws, Reese opened the front door, allowing Robbie to exit the house. Lily approached the door and looked outside, in hopes of catching up with Keith, but Robbie had already galloped off, Keith and his Buizel companion on his back. Lily sighed as she closed the door.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Keith was worried about Keenan as well," Ian said, breaking the silence.

"And you're not?" Xavier asked rudely.

"I'm not dwelling on what happened; I'm concentrating on the fact that Keenan is going to be fine. Everyone else should, too."

"Absol," Lucky huffed. "Sol, Absol, sol-absol."

"I know it's not as simple as that, Lucky. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't try," Ian said calmly. Layla and Ryder looked at one another, mutually concerned for Keenan and Alexa.

Robbie galloped through the region of Johto, avoiding any and all wild Pokémon who so much as looked at them. Robbie was galloping slower than usual, allowing Keith to survey the areas they were passing through. Throughout the day, Robbie ran gracefully through the entire region – save for Cianwood City, which was inaccessible to Robbie, as a Sawsbuck cannot walk on water, and Keith didn't know of the city's existence. Throughout the day, Robbie, Reese and Keith took occasional breaks, mostly to help Robbie keep his stamina up. During each break, Keith had the time to gather his thoughts on Keenan's accident. What if it was Alexa who fell down the cliff instead? Would it be Keith who exploded with anger instead of Alexa? Or would it have been Keenan? Or would Alexa have reacted the same if Keith were the one who fell instead? Or all three of them? He shuddered at the possibilities. He also had the time to think about everything that happened since he and Alexa arrived in Johto, ultimately reminding himself of his least favourite moment; when he and Alexa were arguing. He didn't think about the matter too much, as he was happy that he and Alexa were okay.

At the same time, Hayden, Lily and Ian decided to visit Keenan at the hospital. Keenan awoke to see his parents and grandfather around him. He was happy until he realised Keith and Alexa weren't around. Hayden and Ian, between them, had to explain that Keith was out patrolling Johto, and Alexa was resting, after having stayed up the entire night for reasons Keith hadn't specified, but they assumed it was because she was feeling guilty over Keenan's accident. Keenan remembered very little about the incident itself, and, thus, couldn't understand why Alexa felt so terrible. Even when his parents reminded him of what had happened before the accident, he still couldn't understand Alexa's guilt; she had nothing to feel guilty about, or so he believed. Lily agreed whole-heartedly with her son, but Hayden was just happy to see Keenan awake and talking again.

Lucky, meanwhile, walked into Alexa's bedroom, only to find Lupin hovering near her with what looked like a book in his hands. The Absol growled violently, yet quietly, so as to not disturb Alexa's slumber. Lupin, not wanting to argue with the Dark type, simply disappeared in a small flash of light. Satisfied, Lucky proceeded to approach Alexa, and looked at how peaceful she looked as she slept. He lay down in front of her side of the bed and relaxed; he hadn't wanted to leave her side at the hospital, so he felt obligated to remain at her side while she rested. He understood she'd be completely safe in her own home, he merely wanted to stay with her, like he wanted to at the hospital. He closed his eyes and rested.

Skywing, Xavier, Ryder and Layla all remained in the sitting room, discussing how they could help Alexa. Skywing argued they should leave Alexa alone, but provide support and comfort to her should she seek it. Ryder was the only one arguing against the Chatot, claiming they should follow Lucky's example and be with her, even if she doesn't need the support, claiming it to be there in case she did need it after all. Still under the impression that Lupin was being a cold-hearted bully, Xavier argued they should make sure the Alakazam stayed away from Alexa, at least until Keenan was out of the hospital. Skywing was inclined to agree, but Layla argued that Lupin already felt bad about abandoning Alexa when Jordan desired to hurt her severely, and that everyone should leave him alone as well. It was true Lupin hadn't liked Alexa since Lydia's passing, but he was in no way a bully who would pick on Alexa for every little thing that went wrong. The discussion even continued when Hayden, Lily and Ian returned home from the hospital; the adults stayed clear of the discussion, not wanting to interrupt a meeting that seemed to be important to the four Pokémon. Lily noticed, however, how Ryder had Layla's shining blue claws in his paw.

It was evening by the time Keith returned to the Thorndyke household, a drained Robbie and Reese dragging themselves behind him. The discussion Skywing had with Xavier, Ryder and Layla before now turned into a more friendly conversation with the Sawsbuck and Buizel, who informed the group there was no sign of Jordan anywhere, much to everyone's disappointment. Keith made his way up to Alexa's bedroom, where he found Alexa exactly as he left her; sleeping peacefully in bed. He was somewhat surprised; she slept through the entire day?

Lucky stood up and gave Keith a slight smile as he left the room. Keith silently closed the door behind Lucky and sat next to Alexa, where he waited for her to awaken. While he waited, he looked at the girl with a loving smile; he was glad to see she looked better than she did when he found her slumped in front of her laptop hours ago. It wasn't until she opened her eyes that Keith realised she actually got the sleep she needed. Alexa smiled sweetly at him.

"Keith.."

"Hey, Kitten."

"Y-you're still here...?" Keith laughed quietly.

"No, I've been back for a few minutes now," he explained softly. "You must've been sleeping all day."

"Maybe," Alexa said quietly. Keith momentarily grew worried.

"Are you all right?" he asked, noticing Alexa's lack of enthusiasm. Granted, she had just woken up, and enthusiasm would be minimal at best, but he couldn't help but worry all the same.

"...I'm hungry," Alexa replied. Keith cheered up and laughed at the simplicity of her answer.

"I'm not surprised; you haven't eaten anything since yesterday!" Alexa smiled nervously at him. "Come on, let's go see your Mom and Dad."

"...think I should get dressed first?" Alexa asked. Keith consulted the digital clock on the chest of drawers nearest to him; the time read '17:42'.

"If you want to," Keith replied. "I mean, you'll probably be going to bed in about 4 hours' time anyway."

"I know. I just don't want to be in my pyjamas all day," Alexa said as she pulled herself out of bed. Keith smiled at her as she headed for her wardrobe.

"I wouldn't complain if you did," he smirked. Alexa gave him a sarcastic smile as he laughed. She pulled out a random green T-shirt and leggings.

Lily was in the kitchen, thinking about what to cook for dinner; while it wasn't because of what had happened to Alexa and Keenan that she forgot to prepare a menu for the week, she mentally slapped herself for forgetting anyway. Hayden and Ian were having their own little discussion until they heard footsteps from the stairs. The adults and Pokémon watched as Keith and a rested Alexa approached the kitchen, Alexa dressed in a simple green T-shirt with a black logo of a small leaf on the left hand corner and her black leggings. Ian smiled.

"Hey! Look who it is! How are you feeling, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Hungry," Alexa replied simply. Lily laughed.

"I'm trying to think about what to make for dinner. Is there anything you fancy?" she asked.

"As long as I can eat it, I won't complain," Alexa shrugged. Lily laughed again.

"Fair enough."

"Hey, why not just leave the cooking for now and get something from The Hammer Arm?" Ian asked as he approached Lily. Hayden laughed quietly, but smiled lovingly at his daughter; her improved state hadn't escaped his notice.

"Alexa?"

"Hm?" Alexa looked at her father in confusion.

"You look better, darling." Alexa smiled warmly at him.

"Thanks, Dad." Before Hayden could reply, Alexa had approached him and gave him a hug. Hayden was only too glad to return his daughter's hug. Keith admired the sentimental moment between Alexa and Hayden before he looked towards Ian discussing dinner with Lily. He spontaneously looked towards the Pokémon and decided to talk with them.

In the lounge, Lupin sat on his own, in one corner, looking through the book he picked up from Alexa's bedroom. The lounge was a more peaceful room, with two sets of three seater sofas in parallel to each other and two seater sofas in parallel to each other near the smaller walls. There were family portraits hanging around on the walls of the room, all of which were different; the oldest portrait was from when Alexa was only three years old, with her parents both next to her. The next was of the entire family, with a baby Keenan in Lily's arms and a five year old Alexa on Hayden's knee. After that, the portraits all looked similar, the only difference is the ages of Alexa and Keenan. The most recent portrait, taken just after Alexa returned home for her compassionate leave after Ollie and Elaine's wedding, hung on the wall directly in front of Lupin. The glass coffee table was in the centre of the room, but it was vacant of any glasses or coasters. All of the sofas were black and made of faux leather. Lupin looked at certain photographs in the brown faux leather photo album, particularly ones depicting a ten year old Alexa with a Butterfree with blue wing markings and a familiar-looking amulet around her neck, as well as a young Abra, and photos of the young Alexa, Butterfree and a Kadabra; these photos showed him, Alexa and Lydia prior to the Butterfree's cruel demise. Back then, Lupin was as faithful to Alexa as Lydia was. The Alakazam reflected on his past actions and behaviour, which brought tears to his eyes. He shivered as he thought more and more of the past, until he finally submitted to his tears and wept silently.

_To be continued..._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 – Conflicts**

Andy and Gabby looked up as they heard the basement door opening with a creak. Jordan exited the staircase and unintentionally slammed the basement door behind him as he walked into the lounge, looking a lot calmer than when he retired to the basement. Andy gave him a sour look.

"I've figured out the ideal location for our new base," Jordan stated. "...using that term loosely, mind."

"Really..." Jordan looked at Andy and noticed the look in the young man's eyes. Jordan would have felt intimidated if he himself weren't intimidating already.

"...is there a reason you've got daggers for me?" he asked suspiciously. Andy stood up, and Gabby watched with shock as he stood up for her.

"I get that you're pissed off. But taking it out on Gabs isn't going to help!" Andy exclaimed. Jordan raised an eyebrow as he picked up a sense of defiance coming from his ally. He was less than amused.

"Gabby, leave us for a few moments," he insisted.

"But-"

"Now," Jordan said sharply. Gabby didn't argue, leaving the room as instructed. But she didn't get very far; concerned for Andy – as standing up to Jordan was considered suicidal to her and Andy, Gabby stayed in the corridor, and eavesdropped on the conversation between Jordan and Andy.

"Do you have a death wish, Anthony?" Jordan asked, concealing his anger, Andy was livid; he loathed being addressed by his proper name.

"I don't get why you don't just take your anger out on that Alexa chick! Gabs is on OUR side!" he shouted.

"I specifically told the pair of you not to have your Pokémon use special based attacks, like Hurricane," Jordan said furiously. "Gabby defied me, just like you're defying me right now."

"I'm sticking up for a comrade! There's a difference!" Andy exclaimed.

"Gabriella does not deserve such support," Jordan grumbled. Both Andy and Gabby knew when Jordan was absolutely furious when he addressed them both by their proper names.

"Why? Because you think she's a slut?!" Andy snapped. Jordan glared coldly at Andy, which sent shivers down his spine; he mentally prayed he knew what he was doing.

"Because she's not smart enough to remember a simple command," Jordan said quietly.

"Are you dishing out the insults because some kid got away from you?!" Andy immediately shut himself up; he hadn't intended to ask such a question to his superior, and in such a defiant manner, no less. Gabby feared the consequences, whereas Jordan saw red.

"You watch your mouth," he said spitefully, pointing at Andy with his blade. The very same blade he held to Alexa's face both in Lavender Tower and Viridian Forest. Andy stood his ground.

"You watch YOURS!" he shouted angrily. "It's not Gabby's fault you didn't hurt Alexa before she got away; it's yours!"

All Gabby heard was a smack, a cry of pain from Andy and a thump; Jordan had thrown a punch straight at Andy's eye, knocking him to the floor. Jordan pinned Andy down and held his dagger to his neck. Gabby was far too scared to see what Jordan was doing to Andy. Andy looked up at Jordan, his unharmed eye filled with fear; Andy genuinely thought Jordan would kill him in cold blood. Jordan lowered his face towards Andy, almost making his victim choke over the disgusting odour of tobacco and alcohol in his breath. Andy was sweating bullets.

"You listen to me, Anthony, and listen well because I'm only going to say this once," Jordan began, in his usual terrifying whisper. "If you ever...ever try this again...I will give you what Alexa was going to get. Are we clear?" Andy couldn't utter a single word; he was too petrified. Was this how Alexa felt when she was on the receiving end of Jordan's blade? "I said...! Are we clear?"

"...y-yeah..." Andy choked quietly. Jordan placed his blade back in its holster and stood up, pulling Andy up by his T-shirt in the process. He held Andy close to his face, eyes still seething with rage.

"Don't make me do this again. Understand?"

"...yes..." Andy sighed. Jordan pushed Andy away from him and left the room, stomping up the stairs. He hadn't noticed Gabby listened in on the confrontation the entire time. As Jordan retired upstairs, Gabby walked into the lounge, where she saw Andy trying to recover from the punch and adrenaline rush Jordan gave him.

"I didn't ask you to stick up for me. But...thanks. You okay?" Gabby asked nervously. Andy laughed a little.

"I will be. Just a black eye, innit? No biggie," he said sheepishly.

A week had passed since Keenan was admitted to hospital. Alexa made sure to visit him every day while he was still in hospital, whether it was with her parents or not. Keith visited on occasion, but spent most of the week patrolling Johto with both of his partners, Robbie and Reese. His patrols were usually fruitless, as Jordan and his crew hadn't been seen since the confrontation on Mt Mortar. Keith constantly wondered about the reason for the lacking activity; what was Jordan planning? Keith had no idea, not even an inkling, about the answer to his query. Only time would tell.

Keith sat at the kitchen table with a glass of cranberry juice next to him, while Lily was finishing clearing up after breakfast. The only Pokémon nearby was Reese; the Buizel sat on the armrest of one of the sofas, waiting patiently for Keith. Reese didn't appear eager in the slightest, but he didn't look depressed either; just content. Hayden entered the house with Keenan at his side. Keenan wore the exact same clothes he wore when he fell down Mt Mortar, which, while freshly laundered, were still torn here and there, making his bandages visible in certain places. Keith and Lily were happy to see the pair of them.

"Hey, buddy, how're you feeling?" Keith asked.

"Better, thanks," Keenan smiled. Hayden looked around in confusion.

"Where's Alexa?" he asked.

"She left for the Pokémon Centre a few minutes ago," Lily replied, pulling her sleeves down. "She had a call, telling her Mavis has recovered enough to be transferred and discharge."

"That's a relief," Hayden smiled. "I would've made the enquiry myself, but I thought it'd be better to get Keenan home safely."

"Are the wild Pokémon still agitated?" Keith asked.

"We haven't come across any," Hayden replied as Keenan approached his mother. "I don't know if it's because Skywing and Krystelle are going around Singing to the agitated ones or what...it's confusing."

"No kidding; I haven't seen hide nor hair of Jordan since last week," Keith explained, also expressing his confusion. "I can't tell if it's because they're plotting something or waiting for the dust to settle."

"What dust?" Keenan asked as he and Lily released their embrace.

"Figure of speech, kiddo; what I mean is they might be waiting around to avoid unwanted attention."

"Keith, you and Alex ARE the unwanted attention," Keenan said quietly, yawning a little. He held his hand over his mouth politely as he yawned.

"Fair point. But there were no witnesses to the accident either, so I don't know what they're hiding from," Keith shrugged.

Everyone turned their attention to the front door as Alexa made her way inside the house, happily holding a Poké Ball in one hand. Keith looked at Alexa's clothes before looking at Lily's; he found it rather amusing that both mother and daughter wore turtleneck shirts. Lily's was navy blue and had long sleeves, like normal turtlenecks, while Alexa's was light brown and sleeveless. Keenan walked over to his sister and gave her a warm cuddle, which Alexa happily returned.

"Aw, it's good to see you too, bro," Alexa said kindly.

"How's Mavis?" Lily asked politely.

"She's still being hard on herself for losing to Skarmory, but she's fine otherwise," Alexa replied, releasing her brother from her cuddle. "I'll be keeping her here until she's recovered properly, though, I don't really want her flying again so soon."

"Good idea," Hayden agreed. "She'll be cosy here."

"My thoughts exactly," Alexa smiled. "She'll sleep on one of my beanbags, I think, she loves those." Alexa looked over at Keith and smiled upon seeing his grin; Keith was also amused at how both Alexa and Lily wore black trousers with their turtlenecks.

"Where's grandpa?" Keenan asked suddenly. Lily laughed.

"He left early for Cianwood City. I think his exact words were 'for the heck of it'," she replied. Keith was bemused.

"Cianwood?"

"It's a coastal city across the ocean from Olivine," Hayden explained as he sat across the table from Keith.

"That explains why I haven't heard of it..."

"We flew over it when we went to the Cliff Preserve when we first arrived in Johto," Alexa explained. "Now that I think about it, a proposition's been brought forward to introduce transport to and from Cianwood City for those with no Pokémon or for those whose Pokémon can't fly or swim."

"Huh." Keith was unsure how to react; happenings in Johto were outside his area of expertise.

"What're you going to do today, Keith?" Lily asked curiously.

"Patrol aimlessly again, I suppose," Keith sighed before finishing what juice was left in his glass. "Haven't seen Jordan all week."

"Maybe Ryder can find him?" Keenan suggested. Alexa shook her head.

"He wouldn't recognise Jordan's aura if he were to search for it."

"I guess I could find the way to Jordan's house again. I don't know the region still, so I had troubles," Keith said shyly.

"We'll find it eventually," Alexa smiled. "Maybe if you can't find it today, we'll do an aerial search."

"Sounds good to me," Keith nodded. "C'mon, Reese."

"Bui!" Reese happily leapt at Keith and grabbed onto his arm as he left the house, giving Alexa a kind smile on his way out. Alexa smiled back at him and watched him climbing onto Robbie's back through the window. The Sawsbuck galloped off, out of sight.

"So, Lexie, how are you going to spend today?" Hayden asked casually. "With your brother?"

"Actually, Dad, I'm kinda tired," Keenan said sleepily. "I'm gonna go to bed."

"That's fine, sweetie," Lily smiled.

"Sorry, sis," Keenan apologised. Alexa smiled.

"No big deal. I'm heading for Goldenrod anyway, there's a new shop I want to look at in the department store," she said, almost excitedly.

"Ah, yes, the Pokémon Accessory shop. I've heard good things about it," Hayden nodded.

"That's why you allowed them to set up shop there," Lily chuckled.

"And in the other department stores, my dear," Hayden added. "I refused to let the discount stores into my department stores, there are too many of those about. Most of which are dodgy." Alexa picked up a rounded backpack, designed to resemble a Poké Ball with a camouflage design, and looked inside it. Inside the spacious backpack was one item; a yellow wallet, resembling a Meowth's koban, lying at the very bottom of the backpack. She picked it up and searched its contents; she saw her up-to-date ID card, a gold credit card that looked untouched, a well-used grey debit card and her pale red Trainer Card, which was fully up-to-date. Alexa then looked at what cash she had in her wallet; she had next to nothing in the coin pocket, but she looked at the many 20 and 10 dollar bills in the note pocket; she counted around $130.

"Is the quality of their merchandise questionable as well?" Lily asked as Alexa closed up her wallet, stashing it in her pocket.

"It's the source I'm more concerned about, how do I know if these discount stores are selling counterfeit goods? Some of it's not even labelled in English, as it should be; it's illegal to sell products in English speaking countries that don't have English text on the packaging," Hayden added. Alexa closed up her backpack and flung it on her back.

"I'll be back soon," Alexa declared as she made her way out of the house.

"Bye!" Keenan smiled. When the front door closed behind Alexa, he walked up the stairs, headed for his bedroom, leaving his parents to talk in private.

"Keenan looks well," Lily said. "I don't get why he's tired, though."

"As comfy as the hospital beds are, nothing beats your own bed," Hayden replied. "But, yeah, I'm happy he's home."

"Are you still worried about Alexa?" Lily asked.

"I'm just glad she's okay." Lily shook her head; she knew her husband was trying to save face.

"We'll do right by her. And Keenan."

Alexa walked leisurely through the National Park, a large park just outside Goldenrod City. There were many Pokémon Trainers of different classes in the tall grass, searching for something. Alexa remembered today was one of the three days the park held a Bug Catching Contest, a competition where contestants had 20 minutes to catch the strongest Bug Pokémon they could find in the park, using only one of their Pokémon and 20 special Park Balls. It was almost like the Safari Game in Fuchsia City, only with more limitations; competitors could only capture and hold one Bug Pokémon at a time, and could only use one Pokémon to weaken and capture that said Pokémon, meaning that if the competitor's Pokémon faints, they're disqualified from the competition. Alexa never cared to try participating in a pointless contest; the top prize was a choice of evolution stones – all except the Moon Stone – and the Oval Stone, all of which she could easily get her hands on if she wanted to, especially considering the Fire, Water and Thunderstones were already on sale in Celadon's Department Store, with the possibility of having the Leaf, Sun, Shiny, Dusk and Dawn stones on sale as well. Alexa walked on by, ignoring the commotion of the contest. She was oblivious to the nervous Alakazam following her in secrecy. Lupin constantly tried to approach Alexa, but was scared to at the same time. Instead, he continued following Alexa.

Robbie trotted all over the area between Ecruteak City and Olivine City, where Keenan snuck his way into Jordan's Jeep almost a fortnight ago. Grass had grown where the tyre tracks once were, making navigation harder for Keith and Robbie. Reese was simply enjoying the ride. Keith hadn't taken his surroundings into consideration, as he didn't recognise anything around him. Without the tyre tracks for indication, Keith was hopelessly lost. Again. Robbie galloped off in the general direction Keith remembered the Jeep took after Keenan 'disappeared', hoping to find a lead.

Jordan sat in his armchair, searching 'Johto's rarest Pokémon' on the Internet through the dark grey laptop sitting on his lap. Andy and Gabby sat in their own armchairs, still tense after Jordan's...outburst? It couldn't really be called an outburst if Jordan had never raised his voice. Andy's black eye had faded a little over the week, but it was still painfully clear to see.

"You're being very quiet," Jordan said suddenly. Gabby was startled, and almost jumped out of her seat, metaphorically speaking.

"We've nothing to say," Andy said plainly.

"Aren't we going after those kids today?" Gabby asked shakily.

"No. Personally, I want to save my energy for packing everything up. Doesn't mean to say you can't have a go at them, though," Jordan said, lifting a lit cigarette to his lips.

"If you say so." Gabby stood up, looking rather livid.

"As a matter of fact, I think I'll find that bitch and make her suffer," she said coldly. Jordan blew out the dangerous smoke and returned his cigarette to the nearby ashtray.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled. Andy followed Gabby as she stormed out of the house, front door slamming behind her. Jordan looked through an article on a website for Johto's Newspaper. Whilst it was an old article, a smirk grew across Jordan's face.

"Gabs!" Andy grabbed Gabby's arm before she could leave the doorstep. "Are you doing this because you're scared Jordan will hurt you if you don't go after Alexa?"

"Are you following me because you're scared Jordan will hurt you?" Gabby retaliated.

"I..."

"No, Andy, I'm going to find her for my own benefit," Gabby smiled. "Maybe you can find that Keith guy." Andy took a few moments to let Gabby's suggestion sink in. He smirked.

"...hey... That's an awesome idea! Time to make some Rangers suffer!" he exclaimed happily. He and Gabby ran away from the house and towards the woodlands at the foot of the hill.

It didn't take them long to find Keith; he had since climbed off of Robbie's back and was surveying the area for something that would lead him to where Jordan was hiding out. Andy and Gabby watched in secrecy, and conversed in silence. Shortly afterwards, Gabby snuck away from Keith, wih Andy acting as a distraction.

"Look sharp!" he exclaimed. Keith, Robbie and Reese spotted Andy as he walked out from behind a large tree. "Hey, how's it going?" Keith scoffed.

"Nice eye, chump," he said sarcastically.

"Don't." Andy gave Keith an icy cold glare. Andy could see Gabby running off through over Keith's shoulder.

"I'm glad you showed your ugly mug; now I can take you down and arrest you!" Keith exclaimed. Andy huffed.

"I'm not the one on the warpath, pal," he jeered.

"Gabby gone after Alexa?" Keith questioned. Andy was puzzled at how calm Keith was.

"And you're oddly calm about it," he said. Reese gave Andy a sarcastic clap, complimenting his 'brilliant' powers of observation.

"If it was Jordan instead, then I'd be pissed. But I'm not getting involved in a cat fight," Keith explained.

"...fair point; I wouldn't either," Andy agreed.

"Then again, you wouldn't lose any masculinity points if you did," Keith smirked. Andy nodded before realising Keith words were meant as an insult.

"Hey! That's it, it's go time!" Andy took out and tossed a Poké Ball in front of him. His Scrafty emerged from the Poké Ball. Reese was more than ready for a fight.

Alexa left the Goldenrod Department Store, satisfied at her purchases, which she was looking at inside her backpack. As she closed her backpack, Lupin teleported in front of her, which almost startled her.

"Lupin! Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack," Alexa laughed nervously. Lupin grew even more concerned than he already was; he hadn't expected such a reaction from her, especially considering he abandoned her, leaving her at the mercy of a ferocious cold-blooded poacher who could have killed her if he wanted to. Alexa noticed Lupin's look after she flung her backpack back onto her back. "What's the matter?"

"A-Alakazam..." Lupin replied nervously. Alexa had a hunch as to what Lupin 'needed' to talk to her about.

"Let's discuss this in the forest, shall we? The Bug Catching Contest's on today, so there's going to be a lot of people there." Lupin nodded in agreement as he followed Alexa out of the city. Gabby saw the pair running off in the distance. Enraged, Gabby ran after them as fast as she could.

Alexa and Lupin slowed their pace down to a simple walk upon entering the Ilex Forest. It looked like what you'd expect to find in a forest, except the trees were much larger than average and the leaves hid the sky from view, making the whole forest darker than it actually was. At night, the Ilex Forest was a very scary place to be, even though weak Pokémon resided in the forest and could easily be taken care of, even by a novice Pokémon Tranier, but, during the day, there was a sense of tranquillity through the whole forest. Which, as soon as Gabby entered, was about to be disturbed.

"OI!" Gabby shrieked.

"Huh?" Alexa and Lupin looked behind them and found a panting Gabby in front of them. "Oh, it's just you."

"What do you mean, 'it's just me'?! Swanna landed your baby brother in hospital!" Gabby yelled angrily. Lupin covered his ears; to him, Gabby's screaming and hollering sounded worse than the claws of a Meowth – or any given feline Pokémon – scrolling down a chalkboard.

"Less said about that, the better. He's fine anyway, so there's no point in dwelling on it," Alexa said calmly.

"Whatever," Gabby huffed. "He's not why I'm here."

"Clearly," Alexa sighed.

"It's YOU I'm after!"

"Again, clearly."

Reese slammed into Scrafty's chest with absolute force, his whole body veiled in a faint white aura. Scrafty was knocked to the ground and knocked out cold as Reese stood in front of his foe, breathing heavily. Reese smirked; all that training Ryder gave him was paying off. He triumphantly tapped his fists together as a begrudging Andy recalled his fainted Scrafty back into his Poké Ball. Robbie looked at Reese and wondered if he might evolve like he did.

"Okay, fair's fair, now come quietly!" Keith demanded. Andy sighed.

"Oh, all right...!" Andy walked over to Keith, with Robbie and Reese watching him the entire time. Andy stopped when he was one foot in front of Keith. Before Keith could restrain him, Andy threw a hard punch straight in Keith's eye, as Jordan had done to him. Keith fell to the ground and moaned in pain, holding a hand over his wounded eye. Angry, Robbie pushed Andy away from Keith with his antlers and snorted angrily at him, as if to tell him to go away. Reese ran over to Keith and checked on him. Andy laughed.

"What the hell, man?!" Keith exclaimed.

"I said I'd come quietly! I never agreed to let you take me in to the authorities! Loopholes for the win!" Andy chortled. "Better run along now and find your little bitch before Gabs makes her life a misery!" Keith watched as Andy ran off, laughing maniacally. Without hesitation, Keith climbed onto Robbie's back.

"Come on, we need to find Alexa, quickly!" Robbie agreed and galloped away. Keith picked Reese up by the scruff of his neck as Robbie galloped past him. Reese sat in front of Keith, concerned about Keith's eye.

"I told you; you escaped Jordan and we didn't like that. So I'm here to punish you," Gabby explained, almost arrogantly. Lupin and Alexa gave each other bemused looks before giving Gabby the same look.

"Um...why isn't Jordan here for that himself? Actually, no, I don't care, why don't you go away?" Alexa asked rudely. "I have an Alakazam to listen to, and it's going to be a private conversation." Alexa and Lupin turned to venture further into the forest. Gabby threw a Poké Ball, extremely enraged.

"Don't you turn your back on me!" she screamed furiously.

"What's y-" As soon as Alexa turned around, she was forced to dodge the oncoming Liepard and her razor sharp claws. Alexa thought she evaded the attack, but felt a stinging sensation on her cheek. Lupin was horrified beyond words as he saw blood seeping from a cut on her cheek. Alexa looked back at Gabby, but she had since moved in front of Alexa , blocking her path.

"...what the hell?!" Alexa shouted.

"You cannot turn your back on me!" Gabby shrieked.

"At least I'm not sending my Pokémon on other people!" Alexa retorted furiously. Gabby snarled angrily.

"I have had it up to here with you, you fucking bitch! Liepard, put her out of her misery! Night Slash attack, NOW!"

Liepard leapt up, claws oozing in a deadly dark purple glow. Alexa knew those claws would meet her flesh, and was prepared. She took out Layla's Fast Ball from her pocket, only to see Lupin teleporting in front of her and Liepard, crossing his spoons in front of him. The spoons glowed in a beautiful rainbow coloured light and fired the same rainbow coloured beam straight at Liepard's head. The attack was far too powerful for Liepard to endure, and fell to the ground, knocked unconscious in one attack. Alexa was at a total loss for words; after the history between her and him, Lupin actually defended her? She grew concerned; she had a feeling his changing behaviour had something to do with what he wanted to talk to her about. A frustrated Gabby returned her fainted Liepard to her Poké Ball.

"Fine, you win! But you won't next time!" Before Alexa could question her willingness to submit so easily, Gabby sped off past her, finally leaving Alexa and Lupin in the privacy they originally sought. Alexa approached her Alakazam cautiously.

"Lupin?"

"...kazam..."

"Huh..?!" Lupin turned around and faced Alexa directly, eyes watering with tears, something Alexa hadn't seen from him since...

"Ala...Alakazam...K-kazam..." The more he spoke, the more upset Lupin became. "A-Ala...L-lakaz-zam...!" Alexa was speechless; she was hearing a heart-felt apology from a Pokémon who shunned and blamed her for his dear friend's demise. And she had absolutely no idea what happened to make him rethink his sour behaviour. "L-la...k-kazam...!"

"...oh, Lupin..." Alexa took her distraught Alakazam in a warm embrace. Lupin clung to her and held her tightly as he tried to hold back his tears; Alexa knew he was still grieving Lydia's death and felt guilty about how badly he treated his own Trainer.

"K-kazam..!" Lupin wept.

"It's all right..! I forgive you..."

"L-la...?! A-Ala k-kazam..!"

"Because friends don't abandon each other...! You're my friend, Lupin...that hasn't changed...!" Alexa felt tears running down her cheeks. Her tears narrowly missed the wound Liepard left behind. "I'm so...so sorry...I should have stopped her sooner...!"

"K-kazam..!" Lupin and Alexa faced each other, eye to eye.

"I-It's going to be okay...nobody's going to forget Lydia any time soon...her memory lives on in our hearts..." Lupin flung himself into Alexa's arms. Though taken aback, Alexa held onto her Pokémon gently. "Just because you stopped caring about me...doesn't mean I stopped caring about you... I love you, like I love all of my Pokémon."

"A-Ala...!"

"Alexa!" Alexa and Lupin watched in confusion as Robbie sped up to them, screeching to a halt three feet away from them. Keith hopped off of the exhausted Sawsbuck and approached Alexa. "Alexa! Gabby ran past us and-" He spotted the bleeding cut on her cheek. "What happened, are you hurt?!"

"Not too badly, thanks to-" Alexa noticed Keith's black eye; she didn't understand why she didn't notice it straight away. "Arceus, what happened to YOU?!"

"Cheap shot from Andy, no big," Keith shrugged. "What about you?"

"Near miss from Gabby's Liepard. But I don't care." Keith was confused at first, but he understood when he noticed Lupin holding onto Alexa and smiled; it appeared to him that Lupin and Alexa finally repaired the fractured bond between them. Robbie and Reese were happy for the pair. Without another word, Keith escorted Alexa out of the forest, Pokémon following closely.

_To be continued..._


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 – Burying Traces**

Jordan examined a page in a large Pokémon encyclopedia very carefully. He had since turned his laptop off and sat it somewhat carelessly on the floor on one side of his armchair. He held the bulky book in one hand and held his usual glass of whisky in the other. As he examined the words and illustrations printed on the pages, the man was hatching a plan.

The front door suddenly closed, and Jordan heard Gabby and Andy approaching the sitting room. He knew they were there, but kept his eyes glued to the encyclopedia.

"How'd it go?" he asked casually. Gabby was the first to speak up, and looked more angry than Andy.

"Fucking Alakazam's powerful," she spat. "KO'd Liepard without breaking a sweat."

"Alexa's?" Jordan asked, looking at the busty babe through the corner of his eye. She nodded at him, and he returned to his reading. "I remember that thing. Must be listening to her again. What about you, Andy?" he asked before sipping his alcoholic beverage.

"no go, but at least I got to smash Keith's pretty face in." It was fortunate Jordan had finished drinking; otherwise, he would have choked on his own laughter and whisky. He chuckled, leaving Andy confused.

"Never thought you had a thing for the boys." Andy blinked, but, on hearing Gabby laughing her heart out, understood the subtle hint in Jordan's words.

"Wait, what?! No, I-I punched him in the eye, that's all!" Andy exclaimed, blushing heavily. "He had It coming, he mocked my masculinity! I-I'm not gay, Jordan!"

"Keep your bandana on, I was pulling your leg," Jordan smirked. Andy gave his boss a sceptical look while Gabby was trying so hard not to cry after having laughed so hard. She was panting heavily and her eyes were beginning to water. "Anyway," Jordan continued. "Everything's been arranged." Gabby, still holding her stomach with both arms, looked up at Jordan.

"For..?"

"The move. Tonight."

Alexa sat at the kitchen table, with Lily carefully wiping the blood away from her daughter's cheek with alcohol wipes. Alexa tried not to flinch as the alcohol touched her cut. Lupin handed Keith a frozen bag of sweetcorn and pointed to his eye, hinting that Keith should hold the bag over his black eye. Keith did so, but felt silly using the bag of sweetcorn for an icepack. Robbie sat on the carpet in front of the three-seater sofa, enjoying a fresh bowl of water. Reese sat on the floor, leaning against Robbie's side, hugging his own water bottle. Hayden and Ian were not present for reasons unknown to the wounded teens. Lily, after having cleaned and sterilised the cut, carefully placed a small dressing onto Alexa's cheek, followed by two strips of medical tape crossing over it.

"There we go, that should do it," Lily smiled. Alexa lightly touched the dressing with her fingers to make sure it was securely in place whilst not being too tight.

"Thanks, Mum," Alexa said gratefully as Lily began packing the first aid kit away. Keith sighed.

"But that settles it; I am going to find that house tomorrow, and nothing will stop me!" he stated firmly. Nobody noticed Keenan walking quietly down the stairs, listening in on the conversation.

"Let me help you. I know the area well, I should recognise something." Hearing the gesture, Keith mellowed and smiled.

"Thanks, Kitten. I think I'll need all the help I can get," he admitted.

"Maybe I can help?" Keenan asked suddenly. Lily and Alexa looked back at him as he approached them.

"Are you sure you're up for it? I mean, you DID have surgery a week ago," Alexa said with concern.

"Honey, I was up and about a week after the pair of you were born, and you know your brother's stronger than he looks," Lily chuckled. While Lily and Alexa spoke, Keith had a sudden burst of genius...if that was indeed what it was.

"He doesn't have to do too much," he began. "He can look for it from his Fearow's back!" Keenan nodded.

"That's what I was thinking," he smiled.

"Your call, Alexa; he's your brother, after all," Keith said courteously. Alexa took a moment to consider the offer. She knew she'd very much rather Keenan stayed well away from Jordan after the infiltration stunt he pulled backfired, but, at the same time, she knew a bird's eye view would help them hunt down Jordan's hiding place again.

"...yeah, okay. At least you'll be safe from most of Jordan's Pokémon in the sky," she smiled.

"Thanks, sis! Oh, yeah, how did you get on at the Accessory Store?" Keenan asked.

"Oh yeah!" Alexa snatched her backpack from the floor and immediately pulled out a black carrier bag. She held it towards Keith. "Here." Keith, though confused, took the folded up bag with his free hand.

"What's this?"

"Open it," Alexa smiled. Keith was further confused, but, not wanting to look the gift horse in the mouth, put his hand inside the bag and pulled out a green sweatband and a red neckerchief, confusing him further.

"Oh, those look nice!" Lily smiled.

"The sweatband's for Reese," Alexa explained. Reese poked his head up and looked at the commotion, as if to say 'did somebody say my name?'. "And I wasn't sure what to get for Robbie, so I got him some bandanas." Keith put the items down and picked the bag up from the bottom, tipping out the contents. An assortment of bandanas fell out, each of different colours and patterns. Keith counted them to himself.

"You got half a dozen...?"

"Yeeeeeah, they had a lot of variety, so I chose the ones I thought he'd like best. He can choose his favourite ones and maybe even Reese can have one if he wants." Keith smiled at Alexa.

"Thanks, I'm sure they'll like them. Geez, these must've cost a fortune..."

"Excuse me, Keith, money's no issue for us," Lily laughed. "Besides, don't you get paid? Being Top Rangers, you'd think you'd be getting a decent wage..." Keith gave Lupin the sweetcorn bag, which he soon returned to its proper place in the freezer.

"Y-yeah, we do, but-"

"Keith, it's fine, that place was inexpensive anyway. All of that was only about $10," Alexa shrugged. "...actually, I'd like to go there again at some point."

"Was it that good?" Keenan asked.

"Yeah, they even have a free repair service if any of the accessories you buy get damaged," Alexa replied.

"Ah, well, your grandfather might want to pay them a visit then; Hudson's scarf is horridly worn out," Lily sighed.

"Where is he anyway? And Dad?" Alexa asked.

"Well, uh, your father's dealing with an issue in the city's Poké Mart," Lily began sheepishly. "And your grandfather's off on another one of his 'for the heck of it' trips. Blackthorn City, apparently."

"Hope he stays away from Clair," Alexa grumbled. Keith took the sweatband and bandanas as he made his way over to his two Partner Pokémon, going over the accessories with them.

In the dead of night, meanwhile, Andy dumped a single crate onto the back of the Jeep, next to another one almost identical to it. Gabby sat on one of the crates, looking as though she'd been dragged out of bed. Jordan sat on a different crate behind Gabby, smoking a cigarette, as usual, keeping an eye on the barrel next to the house.

"Urgh, why are we moving at 2am?!" Gabby complained.

"The kids will be sleeping by now. So will most of the public," Andy explained casually as he closed the front door.

"Oh."

"Not to mention the only members of the public out at this time of night will all be the stupid drunken idiots who will most likely be throwing up left, right and centre after emptying their wallets at the pubs," Jordan grumbled. "Is that the last of it?"

"Except for the furniture, yeah, pretty much," Andy answered.

"That's fine, the new place is furnished anyway."

"W-what about that Sawsbuck and the other trophies?" Gabby asked worriedly.

"Relax, I had Skarmory take care of those," Jordan replied. "I knew there wouldn't be enough room for them, and I do not want to make two trips."

"You still haven't told us where we're moving to, Jordan," Gabby noted.

"I know. You'll see it when we get there. For now, floor it, Andy."

"Gabs, better buckle up," Andy cautioned as he made his way to the drivers' seat. Gabby did as she was told and sat in the passengers' seat and put her seatbelt on. Andy started the engine and drove the Jeep away from the house. Jordan moved to the only bit of space in the back of the Jeep, near three luggage bags and Andy's guitar bag. He looked at the barrel by the house, knowing...he'd be back.

The next morning, both Keith and Alexa were changing into their proper Pokémon Ranger uniforms. Skywing rested on the chair near the blue beanbag that Mavis rested on. Mavis was practically mummified with the amount of bandages covering the many wounds she'd sustained during her harsh beating from Jordan's Skarmory, but she looked content in her rest. Alexa was just about to put her last remaining boot on her foot when a brief flash of light caught her eye; Lupin had appeared into the room, holding a single Poké Ball in his hand.

"Is that Anna's Poké Ball?" Alexa asked politely. Lupin smiled at her and nodded. Keith, still baffled at the repaired relationship between Lupin and Alexa, turned to Skywing.

"Hey, Skywing, aren't you normally the one who brings Pokémon here?" he asked.

"It's of little consequence, my boy," Skywing answered, keeping his eyes closed softly. His voice sounded softer and more worn out than usual. "Besides, Lupin asked me if he could take over. Considering his ability to teleport at will, who am I to argue?"

"Fair point," Keith agreed. Lupin handed the Poké Ball over to Alexa.

"Thanks, Lupin," Alexa said happily. Lupin returned her kind smile and teleported out of the room. Seconds after Lupin left, Alexa released the Pokémon from inside the Poké Ball given to her. The white light formed into the slender figure of a Mienshao with an unusually thick tail. As the glow faded, the Mienshao had a yellow star shaped mark on her nose and dark magenta eyes. Keith was rather intimidated at the Mienshao's demeanour.

"Whoa...um...hello?"

"Hmf," the Mienshao huffed. Mienshao's voice was deep, yet feminine at the same time.

"Uh..."

"Anna, this is Keith. Keith, this is Anna," Alexa said politely. Anna – the Mienshao – glared at Keith and looked straight into his eyes. She remained silent.

"I-Is she...okay?" Keith asked.

"She's one of my more serious Pokémon; content, but not easily amused," Alexa explained. Keith couldn't understand how she could say that so casually.

"So...does she like anybody? At all?"

"Keith, she's serious, but only to the extent that she's the exact opposite of Ryder. She does have friends, believe it or not." Keith actually couldn't believe what Alexa just said. In fact, the revelation surprised him. "Anna, are you up for spending time with me and Keith?"

Anna looked at Keith once more and kept quiet to think of her response. Keith felt unnerved by Anna's look. He wondered how on earth Alexa could put up with such an intimidating Pokémon. Eventually, Anna looked at Alexa and nodded. Keith sighed silently; he wished she shook her head instead.

"Don't fret, Anna's a very good ally," Skywing said quietly. "She's just cautious when you first meet her, she'll come around."

"I hope that's the case," Keith whispered back. Skywing nodded.

"Don't worry, Keith, she's on our side," Alexa smiled. "Let's go." Keith nodded and followed her and Anna out of the bedroom, allowing the two bird Pokémon to continue their rest in peace.

Outside, Colin, with Keenan riding on his back, soared into the sky as Keith and Alexa ran out of the city, with Anna and Reese following closely. Reese wore his brand new green sweatband on his head. Robbie sat in the house's shadow, watching the two Rangers disappear out of his line of sight and sighed.

It wasn't until Keith and Alexa were near Ecruteak City when Keith finally spoke. However, rather than going into the city, the pair took a detour through the woodlands nearby.

"I admit I can't blame Robbie for not wanting to go back there," Keith said quietly.

"Give him time; his scarring will heal," Alexa said softly. Keith sighed.

"I hope so. Poor guy."

"He's in good company, leave him be. Besides, we have a house to find!" Alexa said eagerly. Keith smiled for a brief moment before a thought crossed his mind.

"Alexa? Will it even be possible for Keenan to recall the path he took when he escaped? It WAS a cloudy day then."

"That's irrelevant; Keenan has a bird's eye view of the whole region at the moment," Alexa explained.

"So he doesn't have to remember a thing..." Keith muttered to himself. "The place is in the middle of nowhere!"

"Exactly," Alexa nodded.

"Is it common for Johto residents to have houses isolated from other towns?" Keith asked curiously.

"Not really, but Jordan's hiding place isn't the weirdest case I've seen."

"You reckon?"

"Try finding one in the middle of the ocean," Alexa sighed. Keith was flabbergasted; the very idea of a house isolated on a small patch of land in the middle of a vast ocean seemed illogical to him. He wondered where in the world Alexa came across something like that.

Keith's concentration broke when he accidentally bumped into Alexa, who had suddenly stopped running to look up at the sky; Colin had stopped mid-flight and hovered over a certain area. Keith and Alexa ran towards Colin, and soon discovered Colin was hovering over Jordan's house. Keith and Alexa stared at the house as Colin flew down towards them.

"...looks just as ominous as when we first arrived," Keith commented. Keenan climbed off of Colin's back and returned his Fearow to his Poké Ball.

"No joke," Alexa agreed.

"...something's wrong with this picture," Keenan said nervously.

"Yep; no Jeep."

"But that's a good thing, though..right?" Keith asked shakily.

"I guess...it just...doesn't feel right somehow," Keenan replied.

"Snap. At any rate, this is the best chance we have," Alexa stated. "We have to crack this case."

"But what if they come back?" Keenan asked fearfully.

"We settle it. Once and for all," Keith said confidently. Anna looked behind her, at one of the trees nearby. She could have sworn she heard something. "Come on." Anna shrugged and followed Alexa and Keenan as they and Keith ran towards the house. Jordan moved away from the tree he hid behind and watched...smirking.

As Keith closed the front door behind him, Alexa, Keenan and Anna looked around the house. Alexa somehow felt tense, as though they had just entered a haunted house. Remembering the circumstances that brought her and Keith to the house the first time and what they saw during their investigation, chills ran up her spine as she dreaded what they'd possibly find this time.

"O-kay, the door was unlocked...that's fishy in itself," Keenan said quietly. Alexa looked towards Anna; the ambiance of the seemingly deserted household hadn't affected her at all.

"Anna?"  
"Hm," Anna nodded as she began to keep a close eye and ear on her surroundings, in case the three of them were in a trap. Keith moved away from the door and looked around the area with Reese. Reese hadn't been to the house before, but was already shivering with fear.

"...something doesn't seem right here," Keith observed. Alexa nodded in agreement.

"It feels...deserted, somehow." Keith nodded; he felt the same way.

"I'm going to look upstairs," he said. "Alexa, can you-"

"Sure," Alexa said quickly. She glanced at the closed basement door, knowing all too well that Keith was about to ask her to look down there. Keith chuckled.

"Heh; pretty sharp. I'll be back as soon as I'm done." With that, Keith made his way up the stairs, part of him wishing he wouldn't encounter more severed Pokémon corpses. The lacking smell of blood and decay, however, set his mind at ease. Anna looked up at Alexa as she looked down at her.

"Right, come on, you, basement time," Alexa said, somewhat hesitantly. Anna nodded and followed Alexa to the basement door.

"W-wait for me, Alex!" Keenan yelped as he ran towards his sister.

Jordan quietly approached the barrel next to the house and pulled the lid off, somewhat forcefully. The barrel was full of some sort of liquid. Jordan looked at his reflection in the oily substance and grinned; whatever his plan was, it was going to be diabolical.

Keith opened every single door on the upper floor of the house, but, to his surprise, all of the rooms looked tidy, yet vacant. Even the room he, Ryder and Alexa found the Stantler and Lapras corpses was empty. The room had since had been cleaned; not enough for the blood on the carpet to disappear, but enough for the grotesque smell to lift from the room. The sight of the old blood on the carpet frightened Reese, but Keith counted him lucky the little Buizel had no idea where the blood came from. The only thing on Keith's mind was 'why were all of the rooms cleaned out?'. Keith left the room and continued looking through the rest of the rooms.

Alexa and Keenan made their way down the basement stairs, but were horrified at what they saw after Anna flicked the lights on.

"What the..?! It's been cleaned out!" Alexa exclaimed. And she was right; there was no trace of the stuff she and Keith last saw down there; there were no crates of severed Pokémon parts, no cages, no Ursaring pelt hanging on the string, no stuffed Sawsbuck, no toolbox, no bloodied crates...nothing. The blood on the walls had even been cleaned off. It was as though everything she and Keenan saw in the first place was never in the basement.

"Why would they do this?!" Keenan asked. Alexa ventured further into the room to get a proper look.

"We found them out, mate," she replied. As she looked around, she made a random observation; the rope she found in one corner was no longer there.

"Huh?"

"After Keith and I deduced that you escaped prior to our arrival, we searched the place," Alexa explained. She sounded glum; the last thing she wanted was to be reminded that her brother was held hostage by the poacher who almost killed her in cold blood in front of her deceased Butterfree's grave. If she hadn't filed a report of her findings that day, then perhaps Jordan would have killed her after all.

"What did you find?" Keenan asked. Alexa shivered; the 'what if' scenario of her demise quickly changed into the horrific images of the harvested Pokémon dumped in the middle of an otherwise empty room. Alexa could almost feel her stomach turning at the thought of seeing that all over again.

"..stuff that even I'm too young to see," Alexa finally said quietly.

"...oh..."

"I sent off a report of our findings that night," Alexa added. She took deep and quiet breaths, in an attempt to exile the unwholesome thoughts and imageries from her mind. "Maybe Jordan's lack of actual activity was down to him finding a new place to hide out in..."

"Oh. So by removing his stuff from here, you can't place him here," Keenan assumed. Alexa smiled at her brother.

"Ooh, get you, Sherlock!" she said playfully. Keenan laughed shyly. Alexa looked around the room again, back to her serious demeanour. Anna and Keenan watched her observing the empty room. "But Jordan had a lot of stuff...where could he possibly...?"

Jordan opened the front door and the letter cage. He dumped some different coloured pillow cases into the cage and carefully placed a plastic cup of what appeared to be fuel onto the pile before closing the cage. The cup was only filled with a little bit of fuel; only about thirty millilitres at the most. Jordan carefully closed the front door, being careful not to create so much noise and to not tip the cup over. He quietly locked the front door and began to feed some string through the mail slot, which went into the cup and, thus, into the fuel. Outside, Jordan used his lighter to set fire to the string. The fire on the string burned away at the string, which eventually went into the house.

"Good luck surviving this," he muttered as he went round to the back of the house.

Keith and Reese left one of the rooms on the far end of the upstairs corridor when they suddenly heard a large explosion. The pair ran to the top of the stairs and suddenly saw the source of the explosion, which horrified them greatly; the small flame had touched the fuel in the plastic cup, which caused an explosive reaction and set fire to the pillow cases in the letter cage and had created a fire in front of the door, blocking one of the house's exits. Alexa and Keenan had heard the explosion from the basement and raced out to investigate, only to see the exact same sight as Keith. Anna began to hiss.

"W-what the?!"

"Keith, are you all right?!" Alexa yelled.

"Y-yeah!" Keith shouted back. The fire burned intnesely; Alexa, Keith and Keenan had to resort to shouting to make themselves heard.

"What do we do now?!" Keenan cried.

"Put the fire out, obviously!" Keith shouted hastily.

"But going out through the back door would-"

"Reese, you're up!" Keith exclaimed, cutting Keenan off. Keenan and Alexa could smell the fuel burning in the fire, but Reese had already taken a deep breath.

"WAIT!" Reese had already fired a shot of water just as Alexa and Keenan cried out. Anna stepped in front of Alexa and Keenan, bracing herself for the result of Keith's blunder.

Jordan heard a large explosion from outside. He was at the back of the house, stuffing a ripped up piece of rag into a glass bottle of the same diesel he used to create the makeshift bomb. He scoffed as he took aim.

"Idiots." He kept his eye on the seemingly out of place whisky bottle in the kitchen. It looked as though it hadn't been opened before. Jordan used his lighter to set fire to the rag and prepared to throw.

Anna broke a barrier she had created around her, Reese, Keith, Alexa and Keenan, which had protected everyone from the massive explosion. The fire seemed to have intensified. Keenan began to cough as a result of the fumes.

"Brilliant! Just brilliant!" Alexa shouted sarcastically.

"How was I supposed to know it was a petrol based fire?!" Keith shouted furiously.

"The smell?!" Alexa questioned sardonically.

"Guys, enough!" Keenan yelled. "We need to go!"

Before everyone could even move, they heard the sound of breaking glass and another explosion. They looked back at the kitchen and saw nothing but fumes. They couldn't even see the cause of the kitchen's explosion, but Alexa and Keenan feared the worst.

"What the hell?! Now where do we go?!" Keith shouted.

Anna looked into the lounge subconsciously and saw what appeared to be liquid pouring onto the logs in the fireplace. Her eyes widened in horror, but she reacted quickly. She lifted her arm up and slammed her arm fur to the ground, which caused a trio of large rocks to shoot up from the ground in front of the doorway leading to the lounge just as a lit cigarette fell onto the diesel soaked logs. The entire sitting room exploded into flames, but the large rocks protected Anna, Reese and the kids from the explosion. Anna faced them and pointed up the stairs.

"SHAO!"

"Thanks, Anna! Come on, let's go!" Alexa cried. Keith picked Reese up and ran up the stairs, closely followed by Keenan and Alexa, Anna following from behind. The fire began to spread to the foot of the stairs.

Skarmory hovered over the house's chimney, holding the now empty fuel barrel in his talons and carrying Jordan on his back. Jordan watched as the inside of the house was burning everything inside down, including Alexa, Keith and Keenan. Or so he had hoped.

"Adios," he said quietly. Skarmory dropped the barrel, which shattered into pieces on impact with the ground, and flew away from the house. Jordan looked straight ahead, satisfied with his evil plans. Even if Alexa, Keith and Keenan survived, there wouldn't be a single trace of his presence in the house...if there wasn't a house to find.

Alexa, Keith and Keenan retreated to the upper floor and began coughing; with three sources of fire, the fumes were beginning to prove overwhelming for them. Even Reese and Anna began to choke on the deadly smoke.

"T-the front's out, the b-back's out...now what?!" Alexa coughed.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"Keith, w-we can talk a-about this when w-we're NOT in danger of turning into ashes!" Alexa choked. "A-and we w-won't b-be rising from them if w-we do!" Keenan looked around and saw a piece of string hanging from the ceiling. The string had a wooden sphere tied to the end of it, and the string was hanging from a latch in the ceiling. He had an idea.

"T-the attic, maybe?" he asked loudly.

"I-is there a way on t-the roof form there?" Keith questioned. Alexa saw the fire travelling up the stairs, almost onto the floor they were all on. She heard the sound of wood crashing onto the floor; the banister must have crumbled off of the stairs because of the fire.

"J-just try it!" she screamed. "Anna, c-can you-"

"Hm!" Anna nodded. She leapt towards the string and clasped it with both of her paws. Her feet touched the ground and pulled at the string, opening the latch and causing a ladder to fall from the attic.

"Perfect!" Hope returning to his heart, Keith took charge of the situation. "Keenan, you go up first, Alexa, you follow!"

"O-okay," Keenan gulped.

"G-got it!"

Anna watched the fire closely as Keenan climbed up the ladder, followed by Alexa. Keith followed Alexa, with Reese riding on his shoulder. Anna slammed her arm fur on the ground once more, which cause a large rock to shoot up from the ground and in front of the staircase. Satisfied, Anna leapt up into the attic and assisted Alexa and Keith in closing the latch.

The attic was completely empty of anything, but neither Keith, Alexa nor Keenan knew if it was empty beforehand or if it had concealed more incriminating evidence of Jordan's poaching activities. But given the house was on fire, surviving was the first and only thing floating around everyone's minds. Everyone had become dirty from the soot that was being carried around in the smoke. Everyone, however, was sweating; they felt unbelievably hot because of the fires down below.

"Whew..."

"Don't rejoice yet, Keith; the whole structure could still collapse on us," Alexa panted.

"Meaning...?"

"Every minute counts, bro," Alexa replied. Keith looked around, but, to his dismay, failed to find any means to climb onto the roof.

"...ACK! There's no access to the roof from here!"

"Now what?!" Keenan exclaimed.

"Well...since this place is doomed anyway..." Alexa looked towards Anna. "Anna, can you make a hole in the roof please?"

"Hm!" Anna nodded in compliance. She looked up at the roof and relaxed her stance as her body became outlined in a white glow. The glow moved away from Anna's body and formed two rings of jagged energy spheres, which faded into incredibly sharp rocks very quickly. Anna held both of her arms out, sending the rocks flying towards the roof. With a loud crack, the stones created a hole in the ceiling. Anna leapt up to the hole and used both of her arm furs to smooth out the hole to prevent anyone getting hurt as they climbed out. "Shao!"

"Great stuff! Thanks, Anna!"

"Hm!" Anna nodded courteously at Keith, who was smiling at her. He recognised how great of an ally Anna really was, and proceeded to wish he hadn't been so intimidated in the first place. "Shao!"

"Go for it," Alexa nodded. Anna jumped up onto the roof and walked around a little before looking back into the attic from the roof. "Is it safe, Anna?!"

"Hm!" Anna nodded.

"Good!" Alexa smiled.

"Okay, Keenan, you're up first!" Keenan looked towards Keith hesitantly.

"B-but-"

"It's fine. Besides, you're the only one with a flying Pokémon, you have to be the one to leave first!" Alexa exclaimed. While she had a point, Keenan was still reluctant.

"O-okay," Keenan nodded.

Alexa and Keith both lifted Keenan up to Anna, who kindly helped him up onto the roof. Keith lifted Alexa up to Anna, who also helped her onto the roof. Alexa and Anna then helped Keith up by pulling him up together. By the time Keith got onto the roof, Keenan was nowhere to be seen. Reese sighed with utmost relief.

"Are you all right?" Alexa asked. Keith looked up at Alexa.

"Y-yeah, I think so," he replied. Keith took Alexa's hand as soon as she held it out to him. Alexa then helped Keith to stand up on his own two feet. "I'm really sorry I made that fire worse."

"Given the other ones, I don't think it matters any more," Alexa said nicely. "I'm sorry I was snappy." Keith shook his head and smiled.

"It doesn't matt-"

The roof collapsed under Keith and Alexa's feet. The pair began to fall into the attic, but Anna tried to grab them both. Keith held onto Alexa, but felt a pair of talons clasping around his wrist as he tried to reach out to Anna. Anna held onto Alexa's arm as she and Keith were being pulled away from the burning house. Keith and Alexa looked up and saw Colin carrying them away. Keenan looked down at the pair of them.

"Are you okay?! That was really close!" he exclaimed worriedly. Alexa and Keith kept quiet to gather their thoughts; if Colin hadn't arrived when he did, they could have died in the fire or whilst trying to get down from the roof. Effectively, Keenan saved their lives. Both of the Rangers smiled at Keenan.

"Yeah."

"Thanks, bro." Keenan smiled at his sister.

"Straight home now, no arguments," he said. Keith laughed.

"No complaints here, buddy!"

"Bui, bui!"

Alexa and Anna were the only ones silent throughout the rest of the flight. Anna's silence was understandable, given that she wasn't a talkative Pokémon to begin with, but questions were plaguing Alexa's mind; where did Jordan move his stuff to? Who was the arsonist who tried to kill everyone? Who would live in the middle of an ocean? She sighed and smiled at her Mienshao, who, in turn, smiled back; everyone was alive and well...that's all Alexa cared about.

_To be continued..._


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 – A Moment's Peace**

Colin flew towards Alexa's home in Violet City and gently dropped Keith, Alexa and Anna down on the ground, Keith immediately recalling his arm, which Colin had grabbed and held onto for the whole flight. Nobody appeared to notice the dark grey clouds looming overhead, nor the occasional sounds of thunder booming quietly in the atmosphere. Keenan returned his exhausted Fearow back into his Poké Ball and relaxed. Everyone was almost covered in soot from the house fire.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-haaah...that hurt..." Keith said quietly. His arm was elevated for so long, pulling it back down seemed painful, and the sensation of such a sharp set of talons poking at his skin hadn't helped the pain in any way.

"Sorry," Keenan said shyly. "It was the only thing Colin could grab."

"He's got another one, don't worry," Alexa teased. Keith glared at her, giving her a sardonic smile.

"Ha ha, very amusing!"

"S-so...what happens now?" Keenan asked, changing the subject quickly. He wasn't worried about Keith and Alexa fighting again, as he knew both sides were being playful, but his concern lay with the missing poachers. Alexa took a few moments to consider today's events, and where they led her and Keith.

"Hmm...back to square one, I guess," she said regretfully. "I mean, the whole place has been cleaned out and burned down, so Jordan could be anywhere." Keith groaned in frustration.

"So we'd have to find him all over again? That sucks!"

"Yeah, but that's how it is," Alexa sighed. Keenan looked just as disappointed as Alexa.

"Aw, man..."

"Alexa!" Lily called. Alexa, Keith, Keenan and the Pokémon all looked towards the open window of the house, and saw Lily facing in their direction. "You should come in now, it could start raining any minute!" Taking his mother's advice to heart, Keenan immediately made his way into the house. Keith and Alexa looked at one another in confusion; the weather was fine when they left.

"Rain?" Alexa asked, facing her mother. "Are you sure?"

Alexa and Keith heard a loud thunderclap and looked up at the sky; they finally saw the dark rain clouds overhead, and saw a brief flash of light. Before they could react, a tremendous downpour started, soaking a disgruntled Keith and Alexa to the bone in a matter of seconds. Lily tried her hardest not to laugh, but she found the looks on their faces priceless.

"Oh dear. Quick, come in!"

"I'd feel a lot better if your mother wasn't trying not to laugh at us," Keith grumbled.

"To be honest, I'd probably be the same way in her position," Alexa sighed as she and Keith ran into the house with the soaking Mienshao and Buizel. Keenan and Lily gave each of them large towels, all of which were white. Reese, despite being a Water Pokémon, wrapped himself with the towel and huddled over to Robbie, who was resting on the carpet near a seemingly forever napping Typhlosion. Robbie chuckled as Reese sat down in front of the Sawsbuck, shivering from the cold. Anna didn't seem to be overly bothered about being dripping wet; instead, she struggled to hold onto the towel without her arm fur getting in her way, which frustrated her on occasion. Keith and Alexa forced their boots off and virtually tore their jackets off before dumping their towels over their heads, being careful not to get anything else wet in the process. Alexa noticed that the rain had washed the soot away from her uniform and Keith's uniform.

"Didn't think rain fell that hard in Johto," Keith said calmly.

"Probably came from the Lake of Rage; that place always gets pretty violent weather from time to time," Alexa huffed.

"Are you all right?" Lily asked, the temptation to laugh out loud finally having died out. Keith moved the towel from in front of his face and looked up at Lily.

"Wet, but-" Keith suddenly stopped mid sentence as a raindrop fell into his eye. He kept his eye closed and remained silent for a few seconds until he began to blink again. "We're fine," he finally concluded.

"Good for you," Hayden said grumpily. Everyone looked towards the frustrated father in confusion, who sat at the kitchen table with his angry gaze fixated on some sort of formal paperwork. Lily looked concerned, knowing all too well about why her husband was so grouchy. Alexa and Keenan were confused, but Keith felt very slightly intimidated.

"...Dad, are you okay?" Keenan asked. Hayden sighed and looked towards his son and daughter, putting on a softer demeanour.

"I'm still dealing with a serious work incident right now," he explained. "One of my employees has not only been accused of harassment – which was proven to be true – but has been caught with money stolen from the cash register."

"What?!" Now Alexa understood why her father was so cross.

"It does explain why the numbers haven't been adding up," Hayden added, glancing over another piece of paperwork; it was apparently a list depicting a store's sales figures, which showed a tighter profit margin when compared to the previous month.

"Want me to arrest the guy?" Keith asked. Hayden smiled, but shook his head.

"It's under control, Keith, thank you. But, no, I fired him as soon as the pilfered petty cash was brought to my attention," he explained. "The store manager seemed to have been in a hurry, though, he left to make a phone call as soon as he informed me of the stolen money."

"As long as everything's okay..."

"Yes, it's fine, Lexie," Hayden smiled. "But I don't know why he was behaving so immaturely; his CRB check was clear."

"His what?" Keenan asked.

"It's a check some businesses run to check an applicant's criminal record if they have one," Lily explained.

"To see if they've been to prison?" Keenan asked.

"Something like that, yes," Lily replied. "Undoubtedly those poachers you and Keith are trying to apprehend will have one, right, Lexie?"

"I don't know, to be honest, we'd have to catch them first," Alexa said quietly.

"Hmm, that's a good point," Lily muttered to herself. "Anyway, you two had best get changed before those clothes stick to you. And you'd best stay in for the rest of the day, you'll catch a cold otherwise.

"I've already had one, but good idea," Keith laughed as he and Alexa made their way upstairs. Suddenly noticing the soot on his clothes, Keenan laughed nervously.

"I-I think I'll change as well," he said quickly, bolting up the stairs. Lily sighed, but smiled as she watched her son running upstairs.

Alexa closed her bedroom door behind her as she and Keith entered. Keith took his shirt off and immediately felt chilly. He quickly got over it as he saw Alexa taking off her shirt. Her back was turned on him, so Keith only saw her from behind. Mavis was still sound asleep on the beanbag, but Skywing was absent from the room.

"Where should we-"

"On the stool in front of my mirror will be fine," Alexa said quickly. "I'll sling 'em on the balcony when it stops raining."

"Okay," Keith nodded as he dumped his soggy shirt onto the stool as Alexa told him to. He looked at Alexa again, but looked away almost immediately after noticing she was taking off her shorts; he chose to avert his eyes in case her underpants decided to try and escape with her soaking shorts. "Alexa?"

"Hm?"

"Who's Clair? You mentioned her last night," Keith queried. Alexa looked towards him in confusion; she hadn't expected him to take such an interest in something outside his area of expertise. She answered truthfully.

"She's the Blackthorn City Gym Leader," she replied. "Dragon type user, like the current Kanto Champion, Lance."

"Why did you hope Ian stayed away from her?" Keith asked, daring to face Alexa again. He was glad Alexa wasn't completely nude. Alexa put on a pout as she proceeded to examine her wardrobe.

"She has a foul attitude," she said bluntly, moving coat hangers from one side of the wardrobe to the other, looking at the hanging clothes in the process. "Back when I defeated her about five years ago now, she refused to give me her gym's badge. She made me go to the Dragon's Den to pass a test with the den's elders, and even then she had to be instructed to give the badge to me like she said she would!" As he tried to take his shorts off without his boxers falling at the same time, Keith struggled to understand how a gym leader of any calibre could refuse to present the challenger with a badge upon winning the battle.

"Alexa, are all gym leaders so...arrogant?" Keith asked. He had to stop mid sentence to take extra care to not let his boxers slip with his shorts as they fell to the floor.

"Not all of them, but Johto has a good chunk of them. Falkner's the only decent gym leader Johto has in my opinion," Alexa sighed.

"Come on, they can't ALL be that bad," Keith chuckled. Picking out two coat hangers, one with a pair of black trousers hanging from it, the other holding her purple hooded top, Alexa faced Keith with a raised eyebrow.

"Wanna bet?" Alexa took her chosen attire to her bed before she spoke again. "Bugsy in Azalea has gender issues, Whitney in Goldenrod is...a whiny teenager, to put it kindly," Alexa began, shuddering at the thought of her last encounter with the pink haired gym leader. "Morty in Ecruteak thinks he'll meet Ho-Oh, Chuck in Cianwood spends most of his time under a waterfall, consequently resulting in marital problems, Jasmine in Olivine is a huge wimp, Pryce in Mahogany is unnecessarily bitter and Clair's got an inferiority complex."

"...Wow."

"Yeah. How come you asked?" Alexa questioned.

"Curious," Keith shrugged as he looked through his clothes in Alexa's wardrobe. Alexa pulled her trousers and top off of their hangers.

"I didn't think you'd be interested in that sort of stuff," she admitted.

"Are you? Keith asked, randomly pulling out his green t-shirt and jeans.

"Not since three years ago, no," Alexa replied as she pulled her top over her damp head. Keith laughed as he pulled his jeans over his legs.

"By the way, day off tomorrow," he said suddenly. Alexa almost dropped her trousers when she heard the statement, facing Keith in shock and near-frustration.

"Again?!"

"Yep, for both of us," Keith said calmly, pulling the t-shirt over his head.

"Keith, throughout this whole mission, I've had more off-days than on-days!" Alexa complained. Keith couldn't help but laugh.

"So?"

"I'm getting fed up of days off," Alexa pouted as she returned to trying to put her trousers on without dropping them.

"If it makes you feel better, you can have as many double shifts as you see fit when we go back to Almia," Keith said kindly.

"Fantastic," Alexa smiled a little. Her smile died when she saw Keith smirking.

"IF!" he said quickly. "We have that promised date beforehand." Alexa paused for a few moments before laughing; she'd almost forgotten about the date she accidentally agreed to.

"Deal," she smiled sweetly. She picked up her and Keith's soggy uniforms and placed them on her vacant hangers, where she proceeded to create an empty space in her wardrobe and hung them up, away from the dry clothes and with the towel her mother lent her underneath them to catch the dripping water. "There."

"By the way, what's Cianwood City like?" Keith asked. Alexa closed one of the wardrobe doors while leaving the other open.

"It's a coastline city. Other than the gym, it's really quiet. Plus you can get to the Cliffside Preserve on foot from there. It's a big trek, though." Keith looked back at the sleeping Staraptor, frowning a little.

"I was going to ask if we could go there tomorrow, but Mavis is still hurt," he sighed.

"She's not the only flyer I have," Alexa laughed. "I can either ask Phoenix, Falcon, Chaser or my Aerodactyl if they can fly us or I can ask if my Lapras, Cassie, can ferry us across the ocean." Keith looked at her wide-eyed.

"Aerodactyl?! You have an Aerodactyl?!"

"Yeah, some guy in Pewter City gave me an Old Amber seven years ago," Alexa said casually. "Why?"

"...n-no reason." Keith cleared his throat before Alexa could understand his uneasiness. "Anyway, after the whole Union Cave matter, I'm curious about your own Lapras. You said you met your Lapras there, right?"

"Yep, I did," Alexa confirmed. "Preferring the scenic route, huh? That can be arranged."

"Sweet. Hope she won't mind."

"I don't think she will, she loves swimming. Anyway, I'll report today's incident to Professor Hastings, you can do what you like," Alexa said kindly.

"Okay." Keith suddenly noticed Alexa's television set and video game console; it was identical to the one in Keenan's bedroom, but Alexa's console and the controllers plugged into it were silver instead of black. Next to where the games console was placed was a shelf that housed Alexa's video games and accessories for the console. "You play video games?"

"You've seen me, haven't you?" Keith watched Alexa in shock as she instinctively set up the games console.

"H-how did y-?!"  
"Heard you leaving after your shower," Alexa said quickly. "You stopped on your way here." The events from that day ran in Keith's mind; finding the corpses, arguing rather viciously with his own girlfriend, fearing the end of their relationship...he remembered everything.

"...ah." Keith smiled again when he remembered how happy Alexa looked playing a co-op game with Keenan on Ruby Groudon.

"There you go," Alexa smiled. "You can choose which game you want to play on now."

"Is there a disc in the console?" Keith asked.

"No," Alexa replied bluntly. "I put them all back in their boxes."

"Cool." Keith walked over to the shelf of games as Alexa sat in front of her laptop and turned it on. Keith examined the titles of the games, occasionally taking one out to look at the synopsis for the game on the back of the box. Most of Alexa's games were standard adventure games, with the odd RPG here and there. "Hey, Alexa. Maybe you and I can play a game together sometime," he suggested, looking up at Alexa.

"Some of my games have two-player modes, I can join in whenever," Alexa smiled as she glanced back at Keith. She faced her laptop again and opened up her email program and logged in after typing her usual password; she looked at her keyboard as she pressed certain letters on her keyboard, being careful not to make an error. Keith finally took a game titled 'Scarlet Flame' and inserted the disc into the console after turning it on. Keith sat on the floor and proceeded to start a new file – not wanting to erase Alexa's current and only file on her red memory card – and began to play through the game as Alexa typed away on her laptop. Occasionally, Keith looked over at Alexa without her knowing and vice versa.

The sun was rising in Olivine City as a speedboat moored at the harbour. Jordan jumped out of the boat and consulted a notebook he dug out of his pocket; the page he was on looked like a harmless shopping list. Returning the notebook to his pocket and taking a dark grey luggage back from the boat, Jordan made his way into Olivine City.

Lily had just finished clearing up breakfast by the time Keith and Alexa bid her, Hayden, Ian and Keenan 'see you later'. Alexa quickly pocketed a lumpy blue and black Poké Ball before leaving the house with Keith. Keenan removed the last of Iara's bandages and examined her wounds; they were still visible, but were now extremely superficial and were almost non-existent altogether. Keenan, dressed in his blue t-shirt and shorts because his other clothes were dirty, looked towards his grandfather.

"Does she look okay to you?" he asked. Ian laughed, as it was impossible to see Iara from where he was sitting.

"Let's see," he said as he approached the little Vaporeon. He took a close look at the wounds, particularly at the healed cuts on her face. Iara didn't seem bothered by any possible itchiness from the wounds. "Yep, they're healing beautifully," Ian smiled. "Especially her face, it's almost like she wasn't even attacked!" Iara sighed, but with a smile; she knew as well as Keenan that the scars were still present.

"She heals quickly, I'll give her that," Hayden said nicely. Satisfied, Keenan petted his dear friend, who greatly appreciated his touch.

"I still won't let her battle for another week," Keenan said. Iara began licking Keenan's arm affectionately.

"Good idea, let her take things easy," Lily smiled. Robbie and Reese sighed with relief, knowing Iara was healing brilliantly. They recalled the brutality of her attack, so they were pleased to hear her wounds wouldn't last much longer. Robbie seemed to be worried about leaving Keith without a Pokémon with him, but Reese set his mind at ease, informing him of what he had heard from Ryder.

Alexa looked at her Net Ball one more time before returning it to her pocket. Alexa wore her purple hooded top with her dark navy blue jeans, while Keith was casually dressed in a white shirt with black jeans. The pair walked passed the National Park; while it was Alexa's favourite place in the entire Johto region, she and Keith mutually agreed to not go there until their date. The pair walked into Ecruteak City and paused for a few moments to take in the serenity of the place. The tall Bell Tower could be seen just outside the city, with the Burned Tower at the far end of the city.

"So how come Morty wants to see Ho-Oh?" Keith asked.

"Ho-Oh will supposedly appear before truly powerful trainers," Alexa explained, one again demonstration her knowledge on Pokémon legends to Keith.

"Have you seen it then?" he asked curiously. Alexa laughed.

"Oh, stop it! No, I don't make it a habit to seek out legendary Pokémon, I'd very much rather leave them in peace," she explained.

"And this Morty guy wants to see it?"

"Yep," Alexa nodded.

"...okay... Weirdo." Alexa laughed as she and Keith headed towards the eastern exit of the city.

"Don't let him hear you say that!"

Iara lay on Keenan's bed and watched him playing one of his video games, the box for a game called 'Azure Waters' lying on top of the games console. Keenan played as a warrior Dewott battling against a titanic sized Dragonite in a boss battle. Keenan was enjoying his game, but Iara seemed to enjoy looking at Keenan more than at the game he was playing.

In the lounge, meanwhile, Ryder and Layla sat next to one another on the three seater sofa. Layla was looking at Ryder worriedly as he showed how concerned he looked.

"I kinda feel bad about avoiding everyone lately," he confessed.

"Nyah?" Layla asked.

"Yeah, I mean I feel bad that we've pretty much been here, there and everywhere without Alex knowing where in Johto we were," Ryder explained.

"Nyah..." Layla felt just as concerned as Ryder did.

"I know she trusts us an' all, but it's been eating away at my gut for a while now." He suddenly looked at Layla, blushing. "N-not that I'm not enjoying hanging out with you, I-I just-"

"Nyah, nyah-yah," Layla smiled. Ryder smiled in return.

"Heh, thanks. You're fun to be with, too," he said earnestly.

Ryder suddenly felt Layla's paw holding onto his own and blushed even heavier than before. He looked at the sparkling Zangoose and noticed her smiling beautifully at him. Ryder's shock faded as he returned the smile just as kindly. This must be how Keith felt not long after having won Alexa's heart, Ryder thought to himself. He felt a certain warmth inside his heart as he stared almost lovingly at the Car Ferret Pokémon. Was this what it felt like to be in love? Subconsciously, Ryder and Layla moved closer to one another, very nearly touching noses with each other. That was until Xavier suddenly jumped up from behind the armrest farthest away from the lounge door.

"HOLD IT!" he yelled frantically. Startled, Layla and Ryder crashed their heads into one another and faced the terrified Zoroark.

"What, what is it?!" Ryder roared.

"...nothing!" Xavier smiled as he ran out of the room, laughing hysterically. Ryder, seething with rage and humiliation, roared at the mischievous Illiusion Fox while Layla sat there, blushing intensely as she held onto her forehead.

"Dammit, Xavier, you suck sometimes!"

Hayden, Ian and Lily saw a hysterical Xavier racing up the stairs and looked among themselves in confusion.

"Xavier...quite the mischievous one, he is. Obviously hasn't changed since he evolved," Ian chuckled.

"I'm just glad it's harmless, myself," Lily sighed.

"He knows better than to hurt anyone," Hayden smiled. "He's Alexa's Pokémon, after all."

Alexa walked away from Ecruteak City, hand in hand. They were happy and content until they suddenly saw Jordan leaving a farmyard at the far end of the path ahead of them, luggage bag in hand. The teens were stunned and almost speechless, but it seemed Jordan hadn't noticed either of them.

"I-isn't that..?"

"Should we follow him?" Keith asked.

"Risky," Alexa replied. "Cassie's the only Pokémon we have on hand, and she's pretty much a sitting Psyduck on land."

"Maybe, but we can't let this opportunity slip!"

"...you're right, let's go," Alexa reluctantly agreed. Keith nodded and set off after Jordan with her.

After a short trek, Jordan tossed his luggage bag onto the boat and walked back towards Olivine City. While he was gone, Alexa and Keith snuck onto Jordan's boat, concealing themselves underneath a blue boat cover. After a few minutes of tense silence, Jordan returned to the speedboat and drove out of the harbour, unaware of his stowaways. Hiding under the boat cover, Keith and Alexa began to regret their decision, remembering how Keenan's infiltration attempt ended.

Jordan finally moored the speedboat at a pier on what appeared to be a desolate island with nothing but a large hill on it. Jordan quickly got out of the boat, tied the boat to the pier, pulled his luggage bag out of the boat and proceeded to cover the boat. But when he pulled out the boat cover, he spotted Keith and Alexa, who, having realised their cover was blown, looked up at Jordan silently. Jordan, at first, showed little reaction, but he soon smirked.

"Well, well...this is a surprise."

"Uh..." Keith and Alexa looked at one another, hoping to find an excuse. "T-this isn't what it looks like...?" Keith laughed nervously. Seeing the smile on Jordan's face growing sent chills down Keith and Alexa's spines.

"To me, it looks like the pair of you got caught out by your own plan. Speaking of caught..."

_To be continued..._


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 – Revelation**

"They caught your thief, Hayden," Ian stated as he looked at the front page of the morning newspaper; the article was clearly titled in large bold letters "Thieving Employee Busted", with the photograph depicting Violet City's Poké Mart, and a small mugshot of the thief in question in one corner of the photograph. Hayden looked over at his father with intrigue.

"Oh yeah?"

"Store manager reported it to the police," Ian added, reading the article with great interest. Hayden nodded.

"I asked him to as soon as the missing money was found," he explained. "I knew because the ex-employee had a police escort."

"But I didn't hear any sirens?" Lily questioned.

"They didn't need them, it wasn't a 991 call," Hayden said calmly.

"Oh, that makes sense," Lily smiled as she resumed looking through the cupboards by the sink.

"What are you going to do with his position then, Hayden?" Ian asked curiously. Hayden shrugged.

"Advertise it, I suppose. Even though it's doing well as it is, this city's store is still understaffed," he replied.

"Any stores that are overstaffed? Maybe you could transfer one of the employees to Violet City," Ian suggested.

"Nowhere else is overstaffed, Dad, I checked. I'll have a word with Roger tomorrow, see how he feels about the idea of interviewing for a replacement," Hayden mused. Lily lifted herself away from the cupboard, confused.

"Hayden, you haven't seen the bucket anywhere, have you?" she asked. Hayden looked over at his confused wife.

"No, I haven't needed to use it. Why?"

"It's not there."

Xavier lay on the soft grass outside, in the shade of Alexa's balcony. The sky was a perfectly balanced; there were a lot of beautiful fluffy white clouds, but not enough to mask the serene blue sky, with the afternoon sun creeping in. Unbeknownst to the sleeping Zoroark, Ryder looked cunningly down at him from the top of Alexa's balcony. Layla watched with concern as Ryder lowered a metal bucket of icy cold water down to Xavier's head, controlling its every movement with his cyan telekinetic powers. As soon as Ryder was satisfied at the distance between Xavier's head and the bucket, Ryder initiated his prank; in one quick movement, Ryder not only turned the water on Xavier, but also slammed the bucket right on his head. Xavier was startled and chocked, coughed and spluttered on the water until it soaked right into his fur.

"W-WHAT THE FU-" Before Xavier could finish his sentence with profanity, he heard Ryder's roaring laughter above him. Xavier pulled the bucket off of his head, careful not to scratch it with his claws and looked up; Ryder was on the balcony, laughing hysterically. Layla stood there, looking between the laughing Lucario and the irate Illusion Fox. Xavier growled deeply, sincerely angered.

"Rrrrrr...RYDER!"

Keenan heard Xavier's roar over his video game. He paused the game in the middle of another boss battle and immediately hurried to the window; there, he caught a glimpse of Xavier yelling inaudibly at Alexa's balcony. Iara looked at Keenan in confusion, wondering what the commotion was. Keenan sighed and returned to his bed, petting Iara on the head. Iara felt satisfied that the commotion wasn't anything serious and resumed watching Keenan playing his video game, watching as his Dewott protagonist battling an antagonistic Meloetta while attempting to resuce a kidnapped Oshawott NPC.

Downstairs, the adults had heard Xavier's roaring and scolding quite clearly, over Ryder's hysterical laughter, both of which soon died out.

"There's your bucket, Lily," Ian said casually as he finally opened the newspaper. Lily sighed.

"Are they going to keep this up?"

"Doubt it, they're even now," Ian guessed, remembering Xavier's earlier stunt on Ryder. Lily shook her head.

"I'd rather they never tricked each other to begin with," Hayden sighed. "Still, you can't say Alexa's Pokémon don't have personalities."

"All Pokémon have personalities; it's just that Alexa – and the rest of this family – has allowed those personalities to grow. As ALL Pokémon Trainers should," Lily said quietly, sounding slightly disgruntled as she recalled her encounter with a certain murderous Pokémon Trainer who was currently serving time in a far away prison. Ian nodded.

"Jordan could do with remembering that; his Pokémon acted like drones."

Jordan walked into the deserted Pokémon Centre with his luggage bag over his shoulder. Aggron and Haxorus followed him as Jordan slammed the bag on the reception desk; respectively, Aggron and Haxorus held Keith and Alexa by their arms, restricting their movements. The pair instinctively struggled, but their efforts were in vain. Gabby and Andy arrived to greet their leader.

"Did you get what you wanted?" Gabby asked.

"And more," Jordan replied, pointing behind him. "Found myself a pair of hostages." Gabby and Andy finally noticed the apprehended Alexa and Keith, and were delighted in an evil sort of way.

"Hah! How the mighty have fallen!" Andy shouted tauntingly to Keith and Alexa, who both glared at him coldly.

"And in the worst way possible; pulling the same stunt Keenan pulled," Jordan added, turning to look at his prisoners, Alexa in particular.

"How lame!" Gabby mocked.

"Oh, shut up!" Keith snapped.

"You shut up!" Andy retorted. Keith laughed sarcastically at Andy's lack of maturity behind his comeback. Jordan simply stared at Alexa, who felt extremely uncomfortable.

"...w-what?" she whimpered timidly. Jordan approached her and ran his hands over her body, searching her for something.

"Hey! HEY! Leave her alone!" Keith protested. The search ended quicker than it began, picking up a Net Ball from the pocket of Alexa's jeans. Jordan looked at it before looking at the horrified Alexa.

"You won't be needing this."

"Give it ba-" Before Alexa could protest, Jordan quickly took his dagger and held it to her neck, shutting her up in a heartbeat. Keith was horrified; if he protested, Alexa would get hurt. Jordan's act reminded him and Alexa of their encounter in the Viridian Forest in a way.

"Watch what you say, young lady; I haven't forgotten our little rendezvous in Viridian Forest. And this time...nobody will save you." Jordan returned his dagger to its holster, leaving Alexa speechless. Keith looked at her worriedly as Jordan looked over at Andy.

"Andy, chuck this wherever Pokémon Centres keep Poké Balls," he instructed, tossing the Net Ball to Andy. He caught the Net Ball perfectly with one hand, and proceeded to look at it with intrigue. "That's all, Andy," Jordan sighed.

"Don't you want to know what's inside it?" Alexa froze; she sincerely dreaded the idea of Jordan discovering the identity of the Pokémon inside her Net Ball.

"I don't care," Jordan replied simply.

"Oh, okay," Andy shrugged as he jogged out of the reception area. Jordan looked back at Keith and Alexa, who were no longer struggling in the grip of the Pokémon restraining them.

"Gabby, fetch my toolbox."

"Got it!" Gabby complied, trotting off elsewhere. Keith glared at Jordan.

"What are you up to?!" he demanded.

"Making sure you don't escape," Jordan replied. Alexa was extremely quiet, not making a single sound; she was so quiet she couldn't hear herself breathing.

A damp Xavier entered the kitchen and held out the bucket that was once on his head to Lily. Lily, Hayden and Ian could see the dampness in Xavier's fur; his head and a small part of his mane was slightly darker than usual.

"Yours?"

"Thank you, Xavier," Lily said politely as she reclaimed her missing bucket. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Under the circumstances, I'm surprisingly content," Xavier replied as Lily returned the bucket to its proper place.

"Content? I wouldn't be surprised if the neighbours heard you," Ian chuckled. Xavier laughed nervously.

"Yeah, well..."

"What's the next round?" Hayden asked playfully.

"Swallowing some humble pie and apologising to Ryder and Layla," Xavier replied, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

"Very sensible," Lily said as she pulled out the blue spray bottle she was looking for. "You can't prank each other forever, someone will get hurt eventually," she added as she sprayed the chemical inside the bottle into the somewhat grimy kitchen sink.

"Yeah, I want to avoid that," Xavier agreed. "Is Alex still out?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah, for almost two hours now," Hayden replied.

"Oh." Xavier frowned; there was something inside him that told him something wasn't right. He felt concerned, worried and somewhat paranoid all in one furry, albeit slightly damp, package.

"Don't worry, she and Keith will be back soon," Ian smiled.

With a great amount of force, Jordan tossed Keith and Alexa inside what appeared to be a storeroom. Alexa landed on one shoulder while Keith landed on his backside, winding him as a result. Both Keith and Alexa had their wrists bound behind their backs, each with a black cable tie.

"Ah-how-how, my coccyx...!"

"Now, you two sit there and do not make a fuss. I'll be back for you once I've decided what to do with you," Jordan said coldly. Alexa struggled to sit up, considering her hands were tied behind her back. She glared at Jordan angrily, though she was still somewhat scared of him.

"W-what are you going to do with my Pokémon?!" she exclaimed. She was vague about her Pokémon, not wanting Jordan to find out the species inside the Net Ball he confiscated.

"Nothing, I'm not interested in other people's Pokémon; Team Rocket, I ain't," Jordan replied casually. Keith recovered enough to join in the conversation.

"I'm pretty sure they steal wild Pokémon too," he said harshly. Alexa worried for her Pokémon, but she knew Jordan was telling the truth when he said he wasn't interested, so she took some comfort in knowing that. Now all she had to worry about was what was going to happen to her and Keith, now that they were officially Jordan's captives.

"Besides, my next target is on a grander scale than even an oddly coloured fossil Kabutops. Far grander," Jordan added with a small grin.

"What..?" Alexa questioned quietly.

"Like I said, don't make a fuss," Jordan said firmly as he placed his hands on either side of the storeroom doors. "If you're incapable of keeping your mouths shut, I have no objections shutting them up for you." Keith and Alexa winced a little inside; they knew what he meant. "I'll be back."

Jordan pulled the doors and slammed them shut with a loud bang. After a loud click was heard, signifying the doors being locked from the outside, Keith and Alexa were alone in the dark. Keith struggled briefly, but stopped when he felt the plastic cable tie rubbing his skin. He looked at Alexa worriedly.

"...Alexa, are you all right?" he asked kindly.

"I-I think so... I-I'm worried about Cassie; if Jordan finds out she's a Lapras..." Alexa trailed off; the very thought of her own Lapras meeting the same graphic demise as the one they stumbled on during her and Keith's first visit to Jordan's former hiding place was an unwelcome one. Keith looked around at his surroundings; there were shelves and shelves of unused medical supplies; many bandages, dressing, surgical tools, stethoscopes and many other medical equipment were piled on the shelves. As he surveyed their make-shift prison cell, Keith realised he had no idea where in the world he and Alexa were.

"...where are we anyway?"

"Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Centre," Alexa sighed, relieved for the subject change; she almost felt like crying, and was grateful she hadn't. "The entire island's been empty since the volcano erupted six years ago."

"What was the island like before?" Keith asked.

"Kanto's seventh gym was here. As well as an old mansion, one of Dad's Poké Marts and the laboratory where my Aerodactyl was revived from the Old Amber I received from the Pewter Museum...from some scientist who wanted it gone."

"And the volcano wiped it all out?"

"The Pokémon Centre survived...obviously...and it was in business for a while until they decided to close down."

"Huh; no wonder Jordan chose to move here," Keith muttered. Alexa remained quiet, allowing the reality of their situation to sink in. Deep down, she knew Jordan was right; this was exactly how Keenan ended up as Jordan's prisoner in the first place. She felt like a complete idiot. "Alexa, we have to get out of here."

"How? We're locked in and there's a reason Jordan used cable ties!" Alexa exclaimed quietly. Keith looked around again.

"This looks like a storeroom...Alexa, what do Pokémon Centres keep in here?" Keith asked.

Xavier walked into Alexa's bedroom, where he saw Ryder and Layla speaking privately to one another with concern until they spotted him.

"Sorry; am I interrupting?" Xavier asked shyly.

"N-no, you're fine," Ryder replied, signalling Xavier to come into the room. Xavier walked inside and spotted Mavis on one of the beanbags, sound asleep. "I tell you, Xav, that bird is one helluva heavy sleeper."

"Yeah, she has to be if she slept through our commotion," Xavier remarked as he looked at the sleeping Staraptor. She had slightly less bandages than before, and smiled happily as she slept; she didn't look disturbed in the slightest.

"What's up?" Ryder asked. Xavier faced the Lucario and took a deep breath.

"Listen, I'm sorry about disturbing you two; I really have no excuse," Xavier apologised.

"I'm sorry, too, Xav; I shouldn't have overreacted," Ryder said sincerely.

"I guess I needed a bath of sorts anyway," Xavier chuckled. "No hard feelings?"

"Of course, no hard feelings," Ryder smiled. Xavier was delighted to hear those words and the pair tapped their fists against one another. Layla smiled at the two Pokémon, but Xavier quickly lost his smile.

"By the way, did Alex say how long she was going out for? I can't shake this feeling that something is wrong," he admitted. Layla and Ryder looked worriedly at one another before giving Xavier the same look.

"Layla and I were discussing that just now," Ryder said.

"Really?"

"Nyah," Layla nodded, stroking the red bangle on her wrist nervously.

"Have you spoken to Anna yet?" Ryder asked. Xavier shook his head.

"No, why?"

"According to her, Alex, Keith and Keenan were almost burned alive."

"No?" Xavier was shocked beyond comprehension.

"Straight up, hence Keith and Alex taking today off. The house Jordan first hid in was burned down and everything we saw there was missing beforehand."

"So Jordan relocated?" Xavier asked.

"That's the only real explanation," Ryder nodded, resting his paws on his hips. "But hearing that from Anna, I'm worried about Jordan's new hiding place and next move."

"Can't say I blame you."

"I checked; Alex and Keith aren't in Cianwood."

"WHAT!?" Xavier exclaimed. "But they said they were planning to go there over breakfast!"

"Now you see why we're worried," Ryder nodded.

"...maybe you should look everywhere else," Xavier suggested shakily. "I-it's possible they changed their mind while they were out."

"...I never thought of that," Ryder muttered. Ryder knelt on one knee and placed one paw to the ground. His eyes closed softly as his aura sensors lifted. Keenan, who had waited outside Alexa's slightly open bedroom door, had heard the entire conversation and snuck passed the room with Iara hanging from his shoulder.

"Nyah...!" Layla held her bangle close to her.

"It's okay, Layla, I'm sure they're safe and having run as we speak!" Xavier said reassuringly, despite lacking confidence in his own words.

Keith stood in front of a tall metal rack, blindly rummaging through the shelf behind him. Despite his hands being bound, he searched through what he could reach until he felt something cold and sharp.

"Aha! I told you I'd find something," Keith smiled as he carefully took the object without pricking himself. The object he picked up was a scalpel; it had an orange handle with a blue slider on the side of it, allowing the blade to be retracted for safety reasons. It was small enough to fit in someone's pocket, and the sliding mechanism of the scalpel allowed a person to carry it without stabbing themselves accidentally. It was also thin enough for it to be in someone's pocket without it being discovered by someone else.

"I didn't doubt you, Keith, I told you Pokémon Centres carry basic medical equipment, including those used for surgery," Alexa said calmly. Keith returned to Alexa and sat with his back to her. He took the scalpel in his dominant hand and extended the blade, aiming it at the cable tie binding Alexa's wrists.

"I'll cut you loose first," he said. Alexa felt nervous.

"Keith, a-are you sure you're holding it ri—aaagh!" Alexa felt the tip of the scalpel cutting into her wrist. Hearing her cry, Keith retracted the blade quickly.

"Sorry, sorry! Are you hurt?" he panicked.

"I-It just stings..." Alexa replied. The blood from the cut on her wrist dripped down her hand, fingers and then onto the floor just behind her. Keith felt nervous when he extended the blade on the scalpel again; he didn't extend it as far the second time around.

"I'll try not to hurt you again. I just wish I could see what I was doing..!" he grumbled.

Before Keith could even move, the storeroom doors unlocked with a click and were shoved aside; Jordan looked down at his captives, who looked up at him nervously. Jordan couldn't see what it was Keith was holding, but he spotted the small puddle of blood between him and Alexa.

"I told you not to make a fuss and you're trying to escape? Big no-no, Keith. And don't hurt Alexa, that's my job."

"What?" As if I'd let you!" Keith bellowed furiously.

"Calm down, you'll get your turn," Jordan sighed.

"What?!" Alexa gasped.

"That's my decision; what else am I here for?" Jordan asked rhetorically. Keith discreetly retracted the scalpel blade completely and shoved it inside his back pocket before Jordan approached him and Alexa. They both felt intimidated, as one thought circled their minds right now; "we're screwed".

Keenan ran down the stairs, bolted passed the adults and out of the house. Confused and concerned at the same time, Hayden followed him, being the only one of the three not preoccupied; Ian was distracted with a crossword puzzle and Lily continued to clean the kitchen worktop.

Hayden closed the front door behind him just as Keenan released his orange crested Fearow from his Poké Ball. Iara was still settled on her trainer's shoulder.

"Keenan? What's the rush?" Keenan was startled when he heard his father's voice, but turned around and faced him regardless.

"Alex isn't in Cianwood, I want to find her," he said quickly.

"Maybe Keith and Alexa moved on, I highly doubt they'd be there for long," Hayden suggested calmly. "We both know there's very little to do there."

"...oh."

"What's wrong anyway? You're not usually this anxious," Hayden said worriedly.

"I heard Ryder and Xavier talking; they think something might have happened to Keith and Alex," Keenan replied truthfully. Hayden took a few moments to let Keenan's words sink in; he knew there was nothing to worry about, but he began to worry, remembering the three villains who were still at large.

"...I still think she's fine," Hayden began, despite not sounding completely confident about his own assumption. "But if it sets your mind at ease, it can't hurt for you to look for her." Keenan smiled at his father, even though he got the impression that he was allowed to search for his sister partly because Hayden wanted his own mind to be at ease.

"Thanks, Dad!"

"Just be careful, okay?"

"I promise," Keenan nodded as he mounted onto his Fearow. With his trainer on his back, Colin shot up into the sky and flew out of the city, Hayden watching the entire time. He sighed; now he was really worried about his daughter.

Jordan dragged Keith and Alexa into one of the Pokémon Centre's emergency rooms, where Andy and Gabby were already waiting for them. Jordan tossed Keith over to Andy, who, in return, gave Jordan the length of rope he held. As Andy restrained Keith, Jordan tossed the rope over his shoulders and tried to move Alexa to the hospital bed nearby. Alexa struggled until Jordan gripped her hair tightly, which ceased her struggling before it could even begin.

"Oi. Pack it in," he threatened spitefully. The adrenaline running through her body gave her momentary confidence.

"Get a kick out of this, do you? Picking on girls more than half your age?" she whispered nastily.

"No. Just you." Frustrated, Jordan lifted Alexa off of the ground, surprising even Gabby and Andy. Alexa gave a little shriek as Jordan threw her onto the hospital bed. Before she could even move, he tied one end of the rope around Alexa's left forearm, quickly ran the other end underneath the bed and tied it to her right forearm, trapping her to the bed. Alexa struggled, but Jordan tied her securely to the bed. Seeing the brutal treatment Jordan gave Alexa was reason enough for Keith to secretly take out his hidden scalpel and proceed to carefully run the blade up and down the cable tie around his wrists. He was determined to escape before Alexa gets more than the prick he accidentally gave her in the storeroom. Jordan held his dagger in one hand and his lighter in the other, holding the blade over the flame. Alexa was terrified as the dagger began to turn a tremendously hot orange, but soon noticed Keith's subtle struggling. Assuming he was somehow trying to free himself, Alexa had an idea; it was time for her to call upon an old tactic of hers.

"What's grander than a shining fossil Pokémon?" she asked suddenly. Jordan looked towards Alexa, looking somewhat annoyed; he almost wished he had gagged her and Keith.

"Banter before torture, Alexa?"

"You said something like that, so explain!" Alexa demanded. She suddenly recoiled. "Uh, please..." Andy couldn't help but laugh at the abrupt change in Alexa's demeanour, while Keith was confused at what Alexa was up to. He kept struggling, as he knew there was still time for him to cut himself free. Jordan laughed.

"Heh-heh. Well, since you said please..." Jordan returned his dagger to his holster and put his lighter away. "Tell me something, kids; are either of you familiar with...legendary Pokémon?"

"A-a bit," Keith said hesitantly, having seen a few in the flesh; the one he didn't want to be reminded of was Cresselia.

"All of them," Alexa replied earnestly; she knew them all, having grown up with a keen interest in the history behind legendary Pokémon. Alexa suddenly gasped. "Wait...y-you're not...?" Jordan laughed.

"Worked it out, I take it?"

"A-as if you'd capture one! T-they're legendary for a reason!" Alexa cried.

"Indeed. But, unlike most, THIS poacher," Jordan began, pointing at himself. "Has done his homework. I know where the one I want is going to be and when. And I have everything I need to subdue it without killing it; it's all in the luggage bag you two saw me with." Alexa vaguely recalled Jordan carrying a bag of sorts when she and Keith saw him in Johto. "See, I figured that just using the Poach Ball would be insufficient; I needed more. So, I plan on combining the primitive poaching methods with the modern Poach Ball approach." Alexa was livid; when it came to legendary Pokémon, she loathed the very idea of humans disturbing them, evil intentions or otherwise.

"I don't care how you go about it, it won't work!" she yelled desperately.

"Aren't you even curious about which Pokémon it is I'm after?" Jordan asked. Alexa looked at him with mild shock; she knew all of the legendary Pokémon that reside in Kanto and Johto, it was difficult for her to narrow the options down. She remained silent in case it gave Jordan the idea to go after more than just one, and the idea of him seeking just one was too much for her to bear. "I'll take your silence as a yes. In that case, I'll tell you."

Keith felt the cable tie being ready to snap apart, which would finally free his wrists. He stopped all signs of struggling as he saw Jordan moving over to Alexa. He lowered his head near Alexa's and whispered something in her ear. Alexa already felt uncomfortable with Jordan invading her personal space, but what Jordan had whispered to her distressed her further. Furious, Keith turned the scalpel around as soon as it finally broke the cable tie and slammed it into Andy's thigh. Andy yelled in pain and momentarily lost his grip on Keith, who then broke free, taking the scalpel with him. Gabby was too startled to do anything, and even Jordan was surprised. Alexa, however, was ecstatic and relieved beyond words; again, her stalling strategy reaped its rewards.

"What the-?!" Jordan spotted the scalpel in Keith's hand as he retracted the blade and stashed it in his pocket. Jordan was livid. "Get him!"

"C'mere you son of a bitch!" Andy shouted furiously. Keith narrowly dodged each and every fist Jordan and Andy threw at him whilst attempting to throw a few punches of his own. Jordan wished he could use his Pokémon, but considering the bed he tied Alexa to wasn't the only one in the room, there was a severe limit in space. Speaking of beds, Keith saw another one of them and had an idea. While Jordan was distracted with Gabby and Andy, who had unleashed their Roserade and Arbok respectively, Keith made a break for the bed.

"No, you fucking idiots, there's not enough room in here!" Jordan yelled viciously. Keith sat on the worktop near the bed and moved it so the soles of his feet touched the bed. He readied himself to slide into the gap between the worktop and the bed. "Call them back!"

"Jordan!" Gabby shrieked. But it was too late; putting everything he had into his legs, Keith pushed the hospital bed into Jordan, Gabby, Andy and the Pokémon. The bed flipped over and fell on top of the fatigued foes. Keith stood up properly and quickly snatched Jordan's dagger.

"That's what you get for invading Alexa's personal space, you piece of shit," Keith said spitefully. Under his breath, of course, he didn't want Alexa to hear him cursing. Keith ran over to Alexa and quickly untied the ropes around her forearms.

"Keith! You're all right!" Alexa sighed with relief as Keith helped her sit up. Keith used Jordan's dagger to make quick work of the cable tie around Alexa's wrists, finally freeing her.

"Of course. Thanks for the stall tactic. Again," Keith smiled as he carefully helped Alexa off of the bed. Alexa lost her smile, Jordan's words ringing in her ears.

"I wish I could say you're welcome, but I had an ulterior motive alongside helping you," she confessed. Keith lost his smile, remembering Jordan's words himself.

"...Jordan's target..."

"We need to find Cassie and get out of here NOW! I'll explain later!"

"We don't know where Andy took her Poké Ball, though!"

"I know where this Pokémon Centre keeps its Poké Balls!"

"Okay, lead the way, babe!" Keith said eagerly. Without any further thinking, Keith and Alexa fled the room, Keith dropping the dagger on his way out. Jordan recovered and threw the bed away from him. Andy, Gabby and their Pokémon were still fatigued after having had Jordan and a hospital bed falling on top of them. Jordan scowled at them as he reclaimed his dagger. Without another word, Jordan left the room in pursuit of his escaping hostages.

Alexa led Keith to another large room, with two incredibly large racks that covered both sides of the room, leaving one long path down the middle from the doorway. Each shelf on the rack had many sockets in them, roughly about the same size as a tennis ball. However, all but one socket was empty and gathering dust. Alexa quickly reclaimed her Lapras's Net Ball and pocketed it immediately.

"Found her!"

"All right, let's go!" Keith took her hand and fled at full speed with Alexa behind him. Jordan startled the pair as he suddenly appeared from behind a corner and tried to slash Keith and or Alexa – whoever he hit successfully was of no consequence to him, so long as he hit someone – with his dagger. Keith narrowly avoided the blade, but the blade sliced across Alexa's right forearm. She gave a small cry of pain as the sharp metal sliced across her sleeve and skin. Keith briefly turned around as he took his scalpel one more time and threw it at Jordan. The blade landed in Jordan's shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. Jordan had stopped momentarily to take the scalpel out, but the time it took had allowed Keith and Alexa to gain some distance between them and Jordan. Gabby, Andy and their Pokémon tried to grab the pair, but missed royally and crashed into the wall. Keith tried hard not to laugh at their epic failure and kept running, being careful not to grip Alexa's hand too tightly; she was already bleeding from her left wrist.

Eventually, Keith and Alexa left the building and, without thinking to go to the pier where Jordan moored his speedboat, ran up the hill. Keith and Alexa looked down at the sea; it was one hell of a long drop. Keith looked back and saw Jordan leaving the building, looking around to see where he and Alexa went. With her hand free from Keith's, she held onto her bleeding forearm.

"Now what?!" Keith complained. Stuck between Jordan and the ocean, Alexa believed only one alternative was left. She faced Keith solemnly, who, in return, faced her, somewhat confused at her look.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

"Kitten, I didn't get this far NOT trusting you!" Keith laughed slightly, despite trying to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, dumb question," Alexa muttered to herself. She held onto Keith's hand. "Then JUMP!"

Without hesitation, Keith and Alexa leapt off of the hill, down towards the ocean. Alexa opened the Net Ball, finally releasing her Lapras, Cassie from within. However, Alexa's plan didn't go too well; she and Keith ended up in the ocean several inches away from Cassie. Startled, Cassie dived underwater. She surfaced with a disgruntled Keith and Alexa on her shell. As she surfaced, the dark blue spot on her front left flipper could be seen. Cassie looked up at where Keith and Alexa jumped from and saw Jordan, Andy and Gabby looking down at her. Despite not knowing who the individuals were, she sped off before she had the unfortunate opportunity to find out. Gabby and Andy were gobsmacked.

"...her Pokémon was a LAPRAS!?" Gabby shrieked in horror. Andy held a Poké Ball in one hand, and his injured thigh with another.

"Fearow will kill it!"

"...let them go," Jordan insisted.

"WHAT?!" Gabby screamed.

"Are you crazy!?" Andy yelled furiously. A smirk grew on Jordan's face.

"...change of plans. When we meet...there..." His smirk grew, which intimidated even Andy and Gabby. "It'll be for the last time..."

Alexa and Keith sat up properly on Cassie's back as she swam across the extremely tranquil Kanto ocean. Alexa held her bleeding arm with her injured hand. Seeing this, Keith grew worried.

"Are you all right? You're hurt..." Cassie looked back at her trainer, worry written all over her face. Alexa looked up at Keith while enduring the extra pain of the salty water having penetrated both of her wounds.

"I-I'll live... Could've been worse," Alexa replied. Cassie felt obligated to speed up even more. Keith moved closer to her and gently kissed Alexa on her lips. He looked deeply into her eyes with a loving smile on his face.

"I'm just glad you're alive," he said kindly.

"Snap, for the both of us. By the way...Keith, Cassie. Cassie, Keith." Keith looked at the Lapras carrying him and Alexa at the same time as Cassie looked at him.

"Hello," he said politely. Cassie smiled and nodded at the boy, seemingly happy to meet him.

"Cassie, can you take us to Cherrygrove? It's quicker to go home from there," Alexa asked. Cassie nodded and slightly changed her course slightly. Keith looked behind him reluctantly, but was bewildered when the only thing he saw was more ocean.

"...they're...they're not chasing us."

"They've got bigger problems. And so will we if we loiter around for too long." Keith looked at Alexa in confusion; he immediately noticed she was beginning to panic for whatever reason.

"What do you mean?"

"ALEX!" Suddenly, everyone heard Keenan's voice calling Alexa's name. They soon saw the orange crested Fearow flying over to them, with Keenan and Iara on his back.

"Keenan? What's wrong?" Alexa asked.

"Ryder and Xavier were worried and-" Keenan suddenly noticed Alexa holding her wounded arm and saw blood dripping from her wrist. "Aagh! You're hurt!"

"We've got bigger problems!" Alexa yelled, her panic getting the better of her.

"But-"

"I'll explain later! We need to go home and figure out how to stop Jordan from capturing Moltres!" Alexa cried. The revelation left Keith, Keenan and the Pokémon horrified.

_To be continued.._


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 – One Last Chance**

Jordan and Andy sat in the main lobby of Cinnabar's abandoned Pokémon Centre, Gabby crouching in front of Andy as she treated the wound on his thigh. Jordan touched his wounded shoulder, which had been treated recently; through the tiny hole left in his vest, a white dressing could be seen. Andy had his jeans rolled up to allow Gabby to treat it in the same manner she treated Jordan's injury. Andy looked towards Jordan, whose gaze was torn between his shoulder and the dark grey luggage bag that lay in front of him.

"So...you're not worried that they know our next move?" Andy questioned.

"Far from it," Jordan smirked. "If they want to stop me, I welcome them to try."

"I think that's it," Gabby said as she moved away from Andy, who examined the beautifully placed dressing on his thigh. "Are you gonna be okay? Keith really did a number on you two."

"Look, Gabs, when I get my hands on that motherfucker, he'll pay for what he did."

"He and Alexa both," Jordan added in agreement.

"Alexa? What did SHE do? All she did was rabbit on and on," Gabby said in bemusement.

"Exactly. If she kept her mouth shut, none of this would have happened." Andy took a few moments to recall Alexa's stalling tactic; he remembered laughing when she said please, but remembered the sharp pain in his thigh courtesy of Keith's stowed away scalpel even more.

"...I was wondering why she was being so chatty. Heh; her Chatot must have rubbed off on her," Andy sniggered. Gabby laughed, but Jordan smiled evilly.

"If she wants to play a game, I'll give her one." With that, he opened the bag and revealed its contents to his cohorts; inside was a large tranquilliser rifle, several packs of empty tranquilliser darts – each pack containing 6 darts, and numerous bottles of the same chemical, all in unbreakable plastic bottles. Gabby and Andy smirked at one another; these were the tools Jordan planned to use for capturing Moltres.

Hayden sat at his usual char in the kitchen, trying not to worry about where his daughter was after finding out she wasn't where she said she was going to be. Lily finished cleaning the kitchen worktop and returned the cleaning chemicals to the cupboard she collected them from. Skywing flew down from the stairs casually and landed gently in the middle of the kitchen table, just in time for Lily to stand up from the cupboard and spot him.

"Hello, Skywing, how have you been?" she asked politely.

"Very relaxed, thank you very much," Skywing replied courteously. "Ryder has asked me to inform the three of you that he has sensed Alexa's aura with Keith and Cassie near the vicinity of Cherrygrove City," he declared. "Oh, and young Keenan is with them."

"Thank you," Hayden sighed with relief.

"You are most welcome," Skywing nodded.

"I told you there's nothing to worry about," Ian laughed. Skywing suddenly became confused.

"Though I cannot fathom why Ryder, Layla and Xavier are so concerned," he said quietly.

"Is age a factor?" Ian suggested. Skywing remained silent to ponder his reply; he knew both Ryder and Xavier were still young Pokémon, Xavier being about a year younger than Ryder, but...

"Layla's the eldest of the group," Skywing replied, shaking his head. He took a few more moments of silence to think of other possibilities for their concern. "Maybe they know something I don't?"

The Chatot jumped up in fright as the front door opened with a sudden, albeit slight, bang as Keenan, Iara and a damp Keith and Alexa ran into the house. Skywing and the adults watched them in confusion, and instantly noticed their state of panic.

"Okay, now what?" Keith asked.

"I'll file a report to the professor and find a map of Mt Silver to work out the quickest way to-"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! Slow down, Lex!" Alexa, Keenan and Keith faced the grown ups in momentary confusion. "You didn't just say Mt Silver?"

"Y-yeah, she did," Keenan confirmed reluctantly. Skywing noticed the messiness of Alexa's otherwise well-groomed hair, and could have sworn he smelled seawater in the air.

"Hm? Alexa, my dear, are you and Keith...wet?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Long story," Keith sighed.

"Skywing, I need a favour," Alexa said quickly. Not one to turn down a favour for a lady, Skywing nodded.

"Ask away."

"Can you survey Mt Silver in case Jordan arrives? I doubt he'll make a start today, but..." Skywing nodded once more.

"I will start at dawn tomorrow. Shall I take my PokéGear to inform you of his arrival?" he asked. Alexa slapped herself for not thinking of that herself; if her Chatot went to survey Jordan's next location without it, how would she know when he got there?

"Good idea, thank you!"

"Alexa, wait a moment, go back to the beginning! What's the matter?" Lily asked worriedly, failing to understand the full cause for her daughter's anxiety.

"Long story short, we know Jordan's next move," Keith said hastily.

"A-and it's on Mt Silver?!" Hayden asked in disbelief.

"Unless Moltres wants to roost elsewhere, yes!" Alexa added quickly.

"What?!" Lily gasped in shock. Skywing showed virtually no reaction; apparently, he had never heard of a Pokémon – or anything – called Moltres. Ian, however, fully understood his granddaughter's distress.

"...that explains it. Then again, I should have suspected; winter's due to end in Johto tomorrow," he said calmly. Keenan was horrified beyond words, but Keith and Alexa panicked even more.

"Tomorrow?!" they exclaimed.

"Wait, why's that so-"

"It's said that Moltres's appearance indicates the coming of spring," Ian explained to Keith. Hearing that, Keith was terrified; he and Alexa had little to no time to prepare a counter-attack.

"This is bad, this is bad...not enough time to-"

"Lexie, calm down," Hayden said gently as he approached her. "It's going to-"

"Aagh!" As Hayden touched both of her forearms, Alexa gave a small pain-filled shriek, confusing her Chatot, parents and grandfather. Hayden looked at both of his palms, spotting a smudged bloodstain on his left hand. He looked at the torn sleeve on Alexa's right arm, spotting the bleeding injury. He also noticed a bleeding laceration on her left wrist, and was gravely worried. "Y-you're hurt!?"

"I'll get the first aid kit!" Lily stated, running out of the kitchen to search for the medical box she sought.

"What happened, are you all right?!" Hayden asked worriedly.

"I-I'm fine," Alexa replied. In actuality, she wasn't; the salt water had irritated both of her injuries, and her father accidentally applied too much pressure to the wound Jordan left her with after a frenzied attack. Lily quickly returned with the green first aid kit and crouched in front of Alexa.

"Keith, are you hurt?" Skywing asked.

"No, I'm fine," Keith said, somewhat regretfully; he found it unfair that Alexa got hurt during their captivity and he got off unscathed. Ian approached as Lily began to clean Alexa's wrist with an alcohol wipe, giving her another reason to flinch.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

"We know Jordan's next move because he told us," Keith began.

"I asked him to," Alexa added as she watched her mother wrapping a bandage around her wrist. Secured by a piece of medical tape, Lily moved to her arm and began to carefully lift the wet sleeve up her arm, trying her hardest not to hurt Alexa even more.

"And he told you? Why would he?" Skywing asked in puzzlement.

"When he told us, we weren't exactly in a good position. He caught us," Keith said hesitantly.

"So HE did this to you?!" Hayden asked angrily. Keenan and Skywing were shocked; effectively, Keith had revealed Jordan had kidnapped him and Alexa. Or so they assumed; Keith was sketchy on the details.

"Just my arm," Alexa said quietly.

"And your wrist?" Lily asked, stroking another alcohol wipe across the injury on Alexa's arm. Alexa was currently in too much pain to talk.

"I pricked her by accident, I'm sorry," Keith apologised.

"My dear boy, we know you'd never hurt Alexa on purpose!" Skywing smiled for a fleeting moment. "Jordan, however...that's another matter."

"There we go," Lily smiled as she secured the bandages around Alexa's forearm with more medical tape. She carefully unfolded Alexa's sleeve as she stood up.

"Thank you," Alexa said shyly.

"The important thing is you're both all right," Lily said kindly. "But right now, I suggest you get out of those clothes, have a shower and relax for the rest of the day. We've only just hit the afternoon, you have all of today left for any preparations you need to make." Keith and Alexa faced one another; they still felt pressurised, and weren't sure if relaxing was a good idea under the circumstances. However, they also considered the circumstances they had just escaped from, and wondered how Keenan recovered from his own moment of captivity. Submissively, they sighed.

"Okay. But the sooner the professor finds out about Jordan's next course of action, the better," Alexa said finally.

"Are you sure you don't want to clean up first?" Keith asked. Alexa looked towards him, pity written all over her face.

"I think we both know who needs it more," she said subtly. Keith nodded understandingly, recalling his efforts to momentarily defeat his captors and free Alexa. Without further word, Keith and Alexa headed up the stairs together. Skywing watched worriedly, but flew over to his PokéGear by the front door, checking how much power it had remaining.

"Keenan? Did Alexa and Keith fall off of Cassie after you found them?" Ian asked. Keenan turned towards him.

"No, they were already soaking when we found them," he explained. "I have no idea what happened to them beforehand." Ian sighed.

"I see."

The conversation between Ryder, Layla and Xavier halted as soon as Alexa's bedroom door opened. They and Lupin, who sat in the very middle of the large canopy bed, watched as Keith and Alexa entered the room. Keith took a random assortment of his clothes and left the room and Alexa immediately proceeded to turn her laptop on. Lupin used his gentle orange telekinetic powers to close the bedroom door behind Keith. Ryder tried not to laugh at the messy state Alexa was in.

"Did you fall off of Cassie or something?"

"I don't have time to explain right now, I need to tell the professor Jordan's going after Moltres," Alexa snapped as she logged into her email account. Xavier and Ryder looked at one another in confusion.

"Mol...tres?" Ryder asked.

"What's a Moltres?" Xavier questioned.

"An unbelievably rare Pokémon, probably the only one in existence right now," Alexa explained quickly as she began typing on her laptop's keyboard. Layla gasped in horror.

"Wow. If Jordan manages to snag that thing, he can sell it for, like, ten times what Hayden's worth!" Ryder exclaimed.

"And believe me, honey, Hayden's not cheap," Xavier added. Lupin glared at the young Pokémon; now was not the time to bring up Hayden's successful business or his wealth. Alexa wasn't impressed either, but ignored it.

"Yeah, well, I'd rather Moltres be free as the bird it is," she sighed, sending her email off to Professor Hastings.

"True," Xavier laughed nervously.

"If Hastings is sane, he'll send Sven and Wendy as backup," Ryder grumbled.

"Hey, didn't you tell me they were pretty much useless during the whole Cain malarkey?" Xavier asked. Ryder blinked; he had forgotten Sven and Wendy's failure to prevent the murderous Pokémon Trainer from acquiring the golems Regice and Registeel. In the end, Keith, Alexa and Hayden combined their efforts to prevent Cain from slaughtering the titanic golem Regigigas like he slaughtered a wild Salamence and even his own Medicham beforehand.

"...hey, yeah! They WERE useless! Keenan and Lily did most of the work!" Ryder snarled. A small chime rang on Alexa's computer, indicating a new email in her inbox. The Pokémon watched as Alexa read the new email. Alexa was baffled at the words in front of her.

"Nyah?"

"H-he's already replied..."

"What'd he say?" Xavier asked.

"...he said...to carry on with our mission as normal," Alexa said quietly. Ryder saw red, and began to snarl intensely, unintentionally intimidating Layla and even Xavier.

"WHAT?! No backup?!"

"He says he'll be on his way here with some officers from the International Police tomorrow. Keith and I are to try and defeat Jordan and apprehend him, ready for the IP to pick them up," Alexa added.

"Um, better idea; WHY DOESN'T HE GET HIS ASS OVER HERE RIGHT NOW?!" Ryder roared furiously.

"Ryder, Jordan will be at Mt Silver sometime very soon; one false move and we'll need Mountain Rescue." Ryder's temper faded as quickly as it flared up

"...oh." Alexa was still unsatisfied with the advice she received, but proceeded to shut down her laptop. She looked towards Lupin.

"Lupin, can you go and get Phoenix, please?" Lupin nodded.

"Alakazam?" he asked, holding up two Poké Balls.

"Oh, yes, please. Can you take Cassie back as well?" Alexa asked, holding up the Net Ball she had placed in the front pocket on her top.

"Kazam," Lupin smiled. Alexa tossed the Net Ball to Lupin, who caught it with his telekinetic powers. All three Poké Balls glistened in Lupin's Psychic energy and disappeared along with Lupin himself. At the exact same time, Keith returned to the room, fully dressed in a random pair of grey jeans, purple t-shirt and the random orange towel flopped on his head.

"My turn, I guess," Alexa sighed as she rummaged through her wardrobe for some dry clothes.

"I heard Ryder from the other room; what did Hastings say?" Keith asked. Ryder laughed nervously.

"Basically, carry on as normal, he's coming here with IP officers," Alexa explained quickly.

"IP?"

"International Police."

"...I agree with Ryder," Keith stated.

"We'll be on an avalanche-prone mountain, Keith; as little fuss as possible."

"Oh."

"So I asked Lupin to get Phoenix," Alexa smiled as she picked up her chosen change of clothes. Keith remembered Phoenix; he was Alexa's very first Pokémon, and arguably the strongest of all her Pokémon. He witnessed his strength as he fought Cain's Hydreigon for Regigigas's safety. That Charizard put up one hell of a fight, Keith thought to himself. He smiled; with a powerful Pokémon like Phoenix on their side, surely even Jordan's Haxorus would have a tough time fighting him.

Keenan returned to his bedroom and placed Iara onto his bed. Iara lay down as Keenan began wandering around his room aimlessly, walking all over the round snowflake print rug in the middle of his bedroom floor, sick with worry.

"What do we do..?"

"Por?"

"Do we help Alex, giving her all the help she can get? Or do I sit out because of...this?" Keenan sighed, lifting his shirt up a little; Iara saw the healing surgical scar near his hip. Keenan dropped his shirt and sighed. "If I don't help Alex, she and Keith might struggle, but if I do, she might get distracted by making sure I don't get hurt again!"

"Por..." Keenan sat on his bed, burying his face in his hands. Worried, Iara approached him and rubbed her head against his arm. Keenan moved his hands from his face and looked at his companion as she moved over to and sat on his lap. She soon smiled at him and licked his nose gently. Keenan smiled at his little Vaporeon and stroked her gently with only two fingers.

"You think I should help, don't you?" he asked softly. Iara nodded. "I guess we can. But I don't want either of us – or anyone else – to go through what we went through." Iara nodded in agreement and happily rubbed her head against Keenan's neck.

Alexa returned from her shower, clad in a random pair of black trousers and her blue vest, which had been laundered since Robbie's evolution, and a white towel wrapped around her hair like a turban. She arrived just in time to greet Lupin and her oldest friend, Phoenix, who looked as strong and healthy as ever. Keith, Ryder, Layla and Xavier had moved locations and were all on Alexa's bed, watching Phoenix and Alexa. Lupin wasn't as cheerful as he was when he left, Alexa noticed. Phoenix growled deeply.

"Phoenix, I asked him to get you, don't blame him. I need your help," Alexa replied. Phoenix looked at her in confusion; he was under the impression the reason for being disturbed was an unimportant one. He nodded and listened to Alexa intently. "Keith and I are dealing with some Pokémon Poachers who are due to appear sometime on Mt Silver starting tomorrow. We haven't made any progress in apprehending them since we were given the mission almost a month ago, and Professor Hastings is going to make his way over to Johto tomorrow; this might be our last chance to stop Jordan and his troupe. If we're to succeed tomorrow, we'll need all the fire power we can get, no pun intended." Phoenix nodded along with Alexa's story, expressing his understanding. "I don't know if Keenan will want to help as well, and I wouldn't blame him if he didn't, but...I know I need your help. So...will you help us? Please?" Alexa and Keith were shocked when the Charizard nodded immediately after she asked for his help.

"Rhhrrgh."

"Phoenix, thank you!" Alexa said joyfully, holding her Charizard in a gentle hug, which he returned happily.

"Need our help, too, Alex?" Ryder asked.

"Sadly, no; having too many Pokémon battling on Mt Silver will more than likely cause an avalanche. I don't want that to happen," Alexa said regretfully. "But I appreciate the offer, Ryder. Thank you." Ryder, despite not having any, felt tears in his eyes as he smiled at Alexa.

"N-no worries." Ryder's smile was a façade; deep inside, he still couldn't shake off the horrible feeling something bad was going to happen.

_After lunch, Keith and Alexa discussed their plan of action. Alexa pointed out that until she was informed of Jordan's arrival on Mt Silver, there was very little they could do to prepare unless they decided to camp on the deadly mountain. Overall, planning a counter-attack only took half an hour at the most; the pair spent the rest of the day trying to relax, in spite of their anxiousness. Keenan offered his assistance; at first, Alexa refused right off the bat, but realised he would be safe staying on his Fearow's back the entire time. Keenan had no objections helping from the sidelines. Naturally, Xavier, Layla and Ryder wished they, too, could help, but they understood the dangers a large battle on a mountain prone to avalanches would bring; all they could do was remain at home and pray for Alexa and Keith's safety and success. Throughout the day, Phoenix was witnessed snacking on some strange looking yellow berries. Nobody understood why Phoenix chose to snack on the strange berries, only having been informed that "he knows what he's doing" by Ryder and/or Xavier. Eventually, Keith, Alexa and Keenan went to bed, knowing that tomorrow would be their one last chance to protect a Pokémon from the cruel poacher known as Jordan._

The next morning, Skywing, brown and blue PokéGear hanging from his neck, flew towards the towering terror of Mt Silver, carefully scanning the area from a birds' eye view for even a trace of Jordan, Gabby and Andy. The weather was cloudy and chilly; the grey clouds blocked off the sun's warming rays and veiled the beautiful blue sky. Skywing endured the low temperature and continued his surveying, keeping an eye on his PokéGear in case it fell from his neck.

Alexa, Keith, both dressed in their proper Pokémon Ranger uniforms, and Keenan stood outside the house anxiously, awaiting the signal that would set them into motion. Phoenix lay on the grass on his belly, Keith and Alexa already sitting on his back, while Colin roosted on the ground with Keenan and Iara sitting on his back. Robbie stood next to Keith with Reese on his head, both paws on Robbie's antlers. Floating next to Keenan and Colin was the violet Misdreavus, Ruby, who looked nervous about the endeavour she was to assist with. Keith looked at his two partner Pokémon with worry. Alexa looked over a him.

"What's the matter? Cold feet?"

"No. I don't know who to take with me; Robbie or Reese," Keith sighed. "Both of them are pretty helpful."

"Hmm." Alexa looked over at Keenan. "Keenan, how many Pokémon do you have with you?"

"Just these three," Keenan replied. "Why?"

"Fancy taking Reese with you?" Alexa asked. The proposal surprised Keith.

"Sure, no problem," Keenan smiled.

"Bui!" Reese jumped down from Robbie's head and ran over to Keenan and Iara, sitting comfortably in front of the pair, near Colin's long neck.

"What was that for?" Keith asked.

"Come on, as if I was going to let Reese miss out on this," Alexa smiled. "You can take Robbie as your partner Pokémon while Reese tags along under Keenan's care. That way, they can both come along without breaching the 'one partner Pokémon at a time' rule. I guess it's a shame you're not a Trainer; then you could take them both yourself."

"I doubt I'd be able to hack it as a Trainer," Keith laughed nervously.

"Keenan and I managed just fine," Alexa smiled.

"But you're from a FAMILY of Trainers; it's in your blood, pretty much," Keith sighed.

"Anybody can be a Pokémon Trainer if they wanted to," Keenan said reassuringly.

"What is this, a recruitment drive?" Keith laughed.

"No, what he means is even someone who knows next to nothing about Pokémon can become Trainers with the right support," Alexa explained. "But only if you want to, nobody's forcing your hand either way."

"I'll give it a miss, thanks," Keith said nervously. "No offence."

"No worries here," Alexa winked.

"No offence taken," Keenan added.

Skywing circled Mt Silver for the umpteenth time and suddenly stopped mid-flight, hovering in place. From afar, he finally spotted the miniature figures of Jordan, Andy and Gabby making their way up the mountain on foot. Panicking, Skywing used his talons to establish a contact with another PokéGear device.

Alexa's PokéGear suddenly began to ring with a default ringtone. She picked it out from her pocket and picked up the incoming transmission.

"Alexa, t-they're here!" Skywing panicked over the PokéGear.

"Did they see you?" Alexa asked.

"Definitely not, they arrived on foot!" Skywing exclaimed.

"On foot? But they'd need to get through the guards that stop anyone getting to Mt Silver!" Keenan cried.

"Gabby has a Roserade; I wouldn't put it passed her to know Sleep Powder," Alexa sighed.

"Whatever the reason for the phenomenon, it's imperative that you move now!" Skywing squawked.

"Great, thanks, Skywing!" Alexa hung up her PokéGear and returned it to her pocket. "Okay, let's go!"

With a mighty roar from Phoenix and a squawk from Colin, both Pokémon flapped their wings and took flight. Hayden, Lily and Ian approached the windows in time to see them off. Phoenix flew over Robbie and lifted the Sawsbuck off of his four hooves as he flew alongside Colin and Ruby. Both Hayden and his Mismagius worried for their daughters. From the rooftop, Lupin, Ryder, Layla and Xavier watched as Colin and Phoenix disappeared from sight. Lupin lowered his head and clasped his amulet, silently praying for a dear friend to watch over them all.

It wasn't long before Phoenix and Colin met up with Skywing, who flapped his wings wildly as he hovered in front of them.

"Thank Arceus! But are you absolutely sure about this?! I-I think I've figured out why they were on foot!"

"So have I, Skywing; they're saving their Pokémon's energy for Moltres," Alexa assumed.

"My sentiments precisely! But I've no idea what Moltres looks like, so-"

"Did you see a big yellow bird with fire on its wings and head?" Alexa asked quickly.

"No," Skywing replied.

"So Moltres hasn't arrived yet. Either that or it's already there. Anyway, you can go home now, Skywing, we can take it from here," Alexa said reassuringly. Skywing seemed hesitant at first.

"...very well. Take heart!" Skywing shouted boldly as the Charizard, Fearow and Misdreavus sped passed him. Skywing then flew away before the temptation to help Alexa against her wishes took control over him.

"Hold it!" Jordan, Gabby and Andy heard Keith's demanding shout, and watched as the three Pokémon flew towards them. Ruby stayed close to Keenan and hid behind him when she saw Jordan. Robbie began to hyperventilate somewhat, the humans responsible for his father's demise standing before him.

"This is as far as you go!" Alexa shouted angrily.

"Until I get rid of you three, yes," Jordan agreed.

"Is Moltres really worth risking your lives for?!" Keith asked interrogatively.

"Huh?" Gabby tilted her head in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Andy asked casually.

"Mt Silver's prone to avalanches!" Keenan cried. "People have died while climbing it, why do you think Keith asked you that?!" Gabby and Andy looked at one another. Andy merely shrugged while Gabby scoffed.

"Pfft, we already know that," she stated.

"We're not stupid," Jordan added. To Alexa, just seeing the three of them standing on the mountain itself was reason enough for her to suggest otherwise.

"What?!" Keith was dumbfounded.

"But why risk your lives for something like Moltres?" Keenan asked in confusion.

"Heh-heh-heh...humans are greedy, generally speaking," Jordan began. "If there's money involved, they'll do anything. And a Pokémon like Moltres is worth at least a million bucks. At least, it's got to be. I plan on capturing it, and you three can't stop me," he stated, looking back at the large grey rucksack on his back.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that," Alexa scowled. "We're going to stop you, even if it takes us a whole month!" Jordan glared at her.

"...it's been almost a month since we met, Alexa."

"I know that, you know what I mean!" Alexa snapped.

"Yes." Jordan, Andy and Gabby each took out a Poké Ball. "Now, enough talk; it all ends today!" Jordan declared angrily. As soon as Haxorus, Roserade and Scrafty made themselves known, the battle was on.

Phoenix set Keith, Alexa and Robbie down on the same area of Mt Silver Jordan, Andy and Gabby were on, which was surprisingly spacious, albeit rugged and uneven. Phoenix flew away from the mountain, deciding to fight from afar, along with Ruby, Iara, Colin and Reese. Colin and Phoenix were far enough to avoid an avalanche, but close enough to cover Keith and Alexa's backs as they unleashed their capture stylers at the three rogue Pokémon. Haxorus, Scrafty and Roserade were brutal; not only attempting to attack the Pokémon attacking from a distance, not only trying to attack the two capture discs that spun around all over the place, but also trying to attack Keith and Alexa themselves. Avoiding the onslaught was rough on the pair; the surface they were on was extremely rough – completely unsuitable for hikers – and dodging Pokémon attacks often resulted in superficial injuries, such as bruising. It wasn't long before the bandage around Alexa's arm became bloodied a little.

Colin, Phoenix, Iara, Ruby and Reese all took turns in attacking the enemy Pokémon; Colin attacked with translucent blue blades of compressed air released from his wings, Phoenix attacked with his trademark stream of tremendously hot fire, Iara, playing it safe, attacked with multiple pieces beautiful golden star-shaped energy released from her mouth, Ruby attacked with a chilling wind that carried small blue sparkled along with it and Reese attacked with a stream of water fired forcefully from his mouth.

Robbie contributed in attacking and weakening the enemy Pokémon, sometimes bucking them with his two back hooves, sometimes with his antlers shining in an orange glow, and sometimes with an unbelievably brutal tackle attack, which strangely seemed to be more effective when Robbie used it to protect Keith from Scrafty as it tried to attack him sneakily.

Phoenix flew towards the mountain from time to time, fiercely attacking any Pokémon who tried to ambush Alexa while she was hard at work. It was always either Roserade or Scrafty who tried to attack Alexa, and Phoenix constantly swatted them away with either a fiery punch attack or with a quick slap from his large thick tail.

Keith and Alexa were growing tired really quickly; their control over their respective capture discs had to be precise in order to protect them from breaking. Their arms ached, and were losing their control over their capture discs, which were already dangerously close to breaking. Ultimately, Keith and Alexa were forced to recall their capture discs, in case they ended up breaking entirely. Concerned, Colin, Phoenix, Robbie and Ruby approached the tired Rangers.

"Are you all right?" Keenan asked.

"Can't...can't keep...going," Alexa panted.

"Our stylers a-aren't even working..." Keith coughed. Since the battle started, the clouds had faded away and revealed some of the hidden blue sky and sunshine, and the temperature had risen slightly; about an hour or two had passed since the confrontation began. Jordan, Gabby and Andy conversed with one another before facing the exhausted teens.

"Finally. Do you understand now? You won't be able to defeat us," Jordan smirked. Keith and Alexa could only glare at their foes, too exhausted for backtalk. "Now then, Haxorus, you know what to do!"

"What?" Keenan was puzzled as he watched Haxorus walking over to the rocky wall nearby. Scrafty followed and breathed in deeply.

"W-what are you-"

"No! Please, Jordan, don't!" Alexa exclaimed. "You'll get hurt, too!"

"What is it?" Keith asked.

"He's going to cause an avalanche himself!" Alexa cried.

"No, I'm not. Haxorus and Scrafty are," Jordan replied casually. "GO! Rock Slide!" Robbie tried to stop them, but Haxorus and Scrafty, with brute force, slammed into the side of the mountain.

For a few moments, nothing happened. However, the ground underneath everyone stood on the mountain began to rumble uncontrollably. Gabby almost tripped up, but Andy soon caught her. Jordan was confused about the delay in the commanded attack. Everyone soon looked up and instantly panicked, Jordan included; a huge wave of snow and boulders started to fall. Phoenix quickly flew down and grabbed Keith and Alexa as Colin and Ruby fled from the mountain. Robbie began running down the mountain, hoping to outrun the impending avalanche. The rocks fell quicker than the snow, and one of them struck Phoenix on his back, directly between both of his wings. He roared in agony and began to plummet, making sure to protect Keith and Alexa regardless, closing his wings around him, and them, to make sure they were as protected as possible.

Jordan, Andy and Gabby failed to release their flying Pokémon in time and fell down the mountain after the ground beneath them crumbled. One boulder, a relatively small one, struck Jordan's already wounded shoulder, conveniently bouncing him towards Haxorus, who grabbed and shielded his master from as much of the backfired attack as possible. Roserade and Gabby weren't so lucky; Roserade, like Andy, was caught in the falling wave of snow, whereas another somewhat small boulder slammed straight into her forehead, causing her to lose consciousness straight away. Scrafty fell towards the mountain and bounced the rest of the way down.

Robbie, however, was doing surprisingly well in avoiding the avalanche, jumping from place to place to avoid the larger boulders and falling poachers and Pokémon along the way. However, one of his ankles gave way and ended up rolling down the mountain in spite of his efforts. Robbie crashed into the ground, as did Phoenix, Jordan, Haxorus, Scrafty and Gabby, all of whom were then buried under a surprisingly thin layer of snow, with an unconscious Andy and Roserade lying on top.

Colin and Ruby panicked as they tried to avoid the falling rocks while moving away from the mountain. They succeeded in evading the avalanche and flew to the foot of the mountain. Keenan and the only remaining conscious Pokémon were calm and content until they saw the horrific aftermath of the avalanche; the only ones they saw were Andy and Gabby's Roserade. The flame on Phoenix's tail melted a tiny portion of the snow away, but only the area around his tail. Even then, Phoenix's flame was burning more feebly than it should be, which worried Keenan to the core. The Pokémon were all frozen in fear, both shaken up because of the avalanche they narrowly avoided and because of the possibility that Mt Silver had just taken 10 more lives. Keenan couldn't move; his body wouldn't let him, fear had paralysed him. He began to hyperventilate, tears streaming down his face.

"Alex! Keith!" he cried. There was no response, which made him even more upset. His tears fell from his eyes more quickly as he grew more desperate from any sign of life from his cherished sister. "A-Alex! ALEX!"

_To be continued... _


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 – Hospitality**

Silence. That was all that greeted Keenan's desperate pleas. He stared at the large pile of snow in front of him, knowing that somewhere was his sister. The only ones visible were the unconscious Andy and the half buried Roserade underneath him. A tiny flame flickered from the underneath the snow, which had melted only an area small enough to reveal the tip of Phoenix's tail. The situation was grim; there was no sign of movement from anyone trapped underneath the snow, and Keenan feared the worst when it came to Alexa, Keenan and the Pokémon who accompanied them. Iara was distraught, and close to tears, but the young Misdreavus was already choking back hers, and Reese was quivering where he stood. Nobody noticed the large red helicopter preparing to make a landing nearby, despite how obvious its presence was, with the tremendous gust of wind and the almost unbearable noise it made. Keenan thought calling out again would be futile, and decided on a different course of action.

"Hey!" But before he could even move, a uniformed member of a Mountain Rescue Team jumped out of the helicopter and had stopped Keenan where he stood. Keenan looked up at the gentleman, and met with a gentle look of worry. "Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa there, buddy, stay right there."

"My sister's in there!" Keenan cried desperately. He calmed down momentarily as he felt the man's thick gloved hands resting on his shoulders and watched as he crouched down to his level, bearing a reassuring smile on his face. Keenan wasn't sure if he should take comfort in what he presumed was false hope. The helicopter made a landing in a clear area, away from Keenan and the Mountain Rescue member, and the doors opened to allow other members out.

"My team will find her, don't you worry. But I need you to stand clear, I don't want you to get hurt." Keenan looked around at the various other men and women swarming around the snow pile, four of whom were around the unconscious bodies of Andy and Gabby's Roserade. All of them – even the team leader speaking with Keenan – all wore the same clothing; red hard hats, red hiking coats and hiking boots. Keenan's gaze returned to the team leader in front of him.

"W-who are you?!"

"Peter Morris, team leader for Mt Ember Mountain Rescue," the leader replied. "We were oddly called during an avalanche here by some rather fatigued gatekeepers. Just relax, kid, we'll find your sister, but I need to know how many others are in there."

"A-about 10..."

"Ah." Peter stood up properly and addressed one of his subordinates. "Middleton! Get the Flame Body Pokémon!" With a nod, the officer took out four Poké Balls and released the Pokémon dwelling inside; two Litwick and two Ponyta. Peter took out a small Poké Gear – which was of a different model to Keenan's – and formed a contact. "I'll call the hospital."

Keenan watched as the four Fire Pokémon walked and hovered around the snow, melting it gradually. The site of the avalanche's aftermath was almost too much for Keenan to bear. Colin hopped over to Keenan's side and held him under his wing.

The Goldenrod City hospital was relatively peaceful. Patients sat in the waiting area, and were each being seen to efficiently by the many nurses and doctors working at the hospital. The brown haired doctor, Finn Johnson, and the casually dressed ash blonde haired doctor, Dean Jones, conveniently and unintentionally met by the reception desk, where the receptionist was busy trying to becalm an irate patient. Vicki intervened, however, and put the abusive patient in his place, relatively speaking. Finn chuckled at the fiery colleague.

"Tomboy to a T," he sniggered. "What've you got there, Dean?" With his fingers, Dean pushed his oval shaped glasses up his face a little as he read the patients' notes he held in his hand.

"Time-waster," Dean sighed. "Just now discharged him, fortunately."

"What'd he come in with? Sack full of lies?"

"Hangover," Dean groaned. "I've just spent the last half hour explaining to him what he needed to get over hangovers."

"Hard luck, man."

"Don't you have your own patients to deal with, Finn?"

"Not at the moment; I just got here," Finn laughed.

"Well, you haven't missed anything," Dean smiled. "Just walking wounded at the moment."

"Okay, listen up, please!" a strong male voice called as a tall gentleman arrived at the reception area. Several doctors and nurses gathered around to hear their boss's words, Vicki Langdon and scruffy black haired doctor, Mark Salter included. The Clinical Lead was a middle aged balding man with a large figure, dressed in a smart black suit with a ruby red tie, rectangular glasses over his eyes and a pen in his jacket pocket. "We have a major incident heading this way; avalanche on Mt Silver, approximately 10 confirmed casualties, human and Pokémon, so I want both sides of this hospital to be properly prepared before the first wave arrives! Now, I need two doctors at the scene to aid Mt Ember Mountain Rescue, and I need one human doctor and one Pokémon doctor to go."

"I'll go, Mr Kendrick," Vicki volunteered keenly.

"Snap," added another doctor. He had a Togetic sitting on top of his bushy auburn hair and looked somewhat sporty for a doctor, dressed in a green polo shirt and black jogging bottoms with two white stripes down each leg. If it weren't for his ID tag and stethoscope around his neck, you wouldn't think he was a doctor at all. Kendrick nodded.

"Thanks, Vicki, Bart. Now, the rest of you had better get ready! Jade, can you make sure the Health Wing is ready for the Pokémon casualties?"

"Yes, boss," the artificially green haired doctor nodded in compliance, her Delcatty companion mimicking her nod gracefully.

"Good luck, Jade," Bart smiled. Jade smirked as she passed her colleague.

"We don't need it," she retorted playfully as she carefully ran towards her destination alongside her Delcatty, careful not to trip up in her black high heels. Bart took a keen interest in the movements of Jade's miniskirt until he felt a light slam on his head from his Togetic's fist.

"Finn, Dean, you make sure resus is reeady," Kendrick insisted.

"Got it," Finn nodded.

"Absolutely," Dean added.

"Mark, make sure Theatre's clear and prepped, we'll need it," Kendrick added towards the scruffy doctor.

"Yes, sir," he complied modestly.

"Isolde, you and Naomi are in charge of making sure any and all patients that are ready to be discharged ARE discharged, we need the space in cubicles," Kendrick stated.

"Yes, sir," Naomi said timidly. Her dark blonde hair was neatly tied back in a large plait, and her pink hospital scrubs were in sublime condition.

"Would you like us to help with the major incident after we're done, sir?" Isolde asked politely. Her appearance certainly didn't match her professional behaviour; her golden brown hair was tied in pigtails and dressed like a rebelling schoolgirl, wearing a white blouse with the top button undone, a loosely tied blue and white stripped tie, a baggy black knitted sweatshirt, a short grey skirt, thick black tights and pure white sport shoes. Her ID badge was clipped to the bottom of her sweatshirt and her stethoscope underneath the collar of her blouse.

"In any way you can, yes, that would be most appreciated," Kendrick smiled. "All right, let's get going!"

Vicki and Bart made their way out of the building while everyone else went about carrying out their designated assignments. Isolde looked back at the nervous nurse.

"You all right, Naomi?"

"W-what if Cubicle 3 doesn't-"

"Ah, don't fret, I'll help you with that one; I said I would," Isolde winked as she led the shy nurse away from reception.

Keenan stood next to his Fearow, partly underneath his large wing, trying not to watch as Mt Ember Mountain Rescue were trying to rescue everyone trapped under the snow. Andy and Roserade had since been carefully moved and were currently undergoing some kind of treatment Keenan couldn't understand. He noticed two yellow and green helicopters, which he identified as air ambulances, landing on the grass near one another, on the opposite side of the avalanche's mess. Vicki, Bart and several paramedics exited the helicopters and immediately tended to the uncovered patients, Peter meeting with Vicki and Bart along the way.

"We have about 5 Pokémon and 5 humans trapped in that mess," he informed them. Bart nodded.

"Got it. I'll get started on Roserade," he said as he made his way over to the frost-bitten Roserade. Vicki was about to head for Andy when, through the corner of her eye, spotted someone she recognised.

"Keenan?" Keenan looked up upon hearing his name. He then saw the very same doctor who was in charge of his treatment prior to his appendectomy.

"D-Doctor Langdon!" Concerned and confused, Vicki approached the distraught boy.

"What happened, buddy?"

"T-There was an avalanche and...m-my sister...she..."

"She's somewhere in there?" Vicki asked, dread all over her face. A nod from Keenan worried her. "Have you called your parents yet?" Keenan shook his head. He couldn't talk any more, in case he broke down in tears. Vicki put on a smile. "Tell you what, I'll call them when we find your sister, okay?" Keenan nodded. Vicki ran off towards Andy and immediately began treating him as best she could. She guessed hypothermia, and insisted he be rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. Three paramedics worked together to lift him onto a stretcher and moved him into one of the air ambulances, with Roserade following on another stretcher. Each of the air ambulances could either take one human patient, one large Pokémon patient, one human patient with one medium sized Pokémon or one human patient with two small Pokémon patients.

An hour had passed by the time more casualties were uncovered. Despite the efforts of the Flame Body Pokémon and the abnormal thinness of the snow, the cold temperature of Mt Silver made it hard for the snow to melt away. The next casualties to be discovered were Robbie, who was groggily regaining his consciousness, Gabby, whose face was almost completely smothered in blood, Jordan's shining black Haxorus and Jordan himself, who not only had lacerations on his arms and torso – from Haxorus's claws – but the shoulder that was struck with the scalpel Keith held on Cinnabar Island was allegedly dislocated. When the air ambulance returned, Vicki and Bart were confident that the uncovered patients were ready for transfer to the hospital. Scrafty was uncovered at the last minute; he didn't appear to have any injuries other than heavy bruising, but was also suspected of having hypothermia, and was rushed into the air ambulance with Robbie.

"Just the Charizard left?" Bart questioned to his Togetic, who flew around his partner. "I thought there was more than-" As Bart began to try and move Phoenix's body, he spotted something he found odd; some strands of light golden blonde hair. "Vicki!"

"What's up?!" Vicki called back as she ran to her comrade.

"You need to see this," Bart explained, pointing to the oddly place hair. Vicki began to panic a little, recognising that colour hair all too well.

"We need to get this Charizard up straight away," she said quietly. Bart nodded, but noticed Phoenix was bleeding from the gap between his wings.

"We need to do this carefully, or that Charizard may never fly again," he said seriously. Vicki nodded and looked towards the mountain rescue members who were searching for any more casualties.

"Can we get some help over here please?!" she called. Half a dozen members and three paramedics ran over to the two doctors.

Keenan, Iara, Ruby, Reese and Colin watched as the doctors, paramedics and mountain rescue members carried out their plan to separate Phoenix from whoever was encased in his wings. Vicki and the paramedics carefully pulled Keith and Alexa out from Phoenix's protective grip, and Bart instantly began checking the Charizard over. As soon as he saw his sister, Keenan was in utter disbelief. He tried rushing over to her, but Colin managed to stop him with his wing; there was very little he could do if anything at all. Reese tried to rush over to his fallen partner, but Iara, despite her own tears, grabbed the Buizel's tails with her mouth and pulled him back.

Vicki discovered both Keith and Alexa shared identical head injuries, which she soon discovered was from Phoenix's claws when she noticed they were bloodstained. Satisfied that all of the casualties have been found, Mt Ember Mountain Rescue retreated back into their helicopter, took off and flew away from Mt Silver. Vicki signalled Keenan to approach her, allowing him to ride the air ambulance with her. Before she left, however, Vicki took out her mobile phone and made a phone call.

Hayden and Ian sat at the kitchen table, trying not to worry about Keith and Alexa's mission. Hayden noticed how mutually worried Ryder, Layla, Xavier, Skywing, Lupin, Malik, Cheryl the Gardevoir, Tidus – his Typhlosion – and Chelsea the Meganium all looked. The phone rang suddenly, taking most of the Pokémon by surprise. Lily stood up from her seat and answered the phone.

"Hello, Thorndyke residence," she said courteously. At first, she thought the call was harmless. That was before she recognised the voice on the other end of the phone. "Doctor Langdon?" Lily's confusion turned into shock as she heard the news Vicki had to tell her. "I-Is he all right?" she asked shakily. If it was even possible, her shock turned into terror as she heard more of what Vicki had to say. Lily held her hand over her mouth in disbelief, which automatically alarmed her husband. "...I-I see..." Lily fell back into her chair, overcome with grief over what she was being told. The Pokémon watched her anxiously. "...y-yes, sorry. Y-yes, w-we'll meet you there. T-Thank you." Lily ceased the phone call and left it on the table. There was an awkward silence that felt unrealistically longer than it actually was. Lupin used his telekinetic powers to move the phone and place it back where it was, the entire handset glowing in an orange light in the process.

"Lily? What's the matter?" Hayden asked. Lily kept quiet, the reality of the news she heard to sink in. Ian lost his patience.

"Lily."

"...I should have known this would happen..."

"What?" Hayden asked worriedly.

"...there's been an avalanche...A-Alexa's on her way to the hospital." Everyone around Lily was terrified beyond comprehension, Ian included. Ryder, Layla and Xavier looked around at one another; their hunch was right the entire time.

"I-Is she all right?!" Hayden panicked.

"Vicki said she and her colleague found her and Keith under Phoenix. Their injuries might still be serious, though."

"No..." Ryder collapsed onto his knees in dismay as his ears dropped down the sides of his head. Layla knelt next to him and, though she was close to tears herself, held his paw in hers.

"I said we'd meet her at the hospital..."

"We'll do just that," Ian nodded. "We'll use Teleport, it's quickest that way." Skywing suddenly perked up and flew towards Lily.

"Pardon me, Lily. Did you say...under Phoenix?" he queried shakily.

"Vicki thinks he held onto Keith and Alexa as they fell. His injuries aren't obvious, but could tell he was hit by a rock. At the very least, he might not be able to fly for a while."

"...he must have known..." Skywing muttered as he flew towards the kitchen table. He muttered something to himself as he paced around on the table before slammed one wing into the other, as if to slam a fist into his non-existent palm. "Yes, of course! THAT explains his choice of snack last night! They were Charti Berries!" Ian smiled.

"Clever; he was expecting an avalanche the whole time, and the Charti Berries helped him resist it, considering his large weakness to rock based attacks," Ian deduced.

"Yes, yes, Phoenix did his homework, SO WHAT?!" Ryder wept. "He's still hurt!" Skywing nodded before flying hastily towards Lupin, who was startled when the Chatot flew right in front of him.

"ALA!" he yelped.

"Lupin, I implore you! Inform the others of this terrible trauma! Please!" Lupin, after recovering from a near heart attack, glared at Skywing, as if to say he didn't need to be begged. Nonetheless, he nodded and disappeared in a flash of light. Skywing sighed with relief.

"All right, now that that's taken care of...Cheryl, if you'd be so kind?" Ian asked.

"G-Gardevoir," Cheryl nodded reluctantly. The Pokémon approached Ian, Hayden and Lily as Cheryl began to concentrate.

In a flash of white light, everyone appeared suddenly in the Goldenrod City hospital's reception area. The timing of the teleportation was impeccable; Vicki and Keenan, along with Iara, Reese and Ruby – with Colin having since returned to his Poké Ball – walked passed the reception area. Had Ruby not cried out for her father, neither one would have noticed the family at all. As the little Misdreavus sought solace from Hayden's Mismagius, Keenan ran over to and embraced his mother.

"Mum, Dad!"

"I-It's all right, sweetheart," Lily said softly as she comforted her son, in spite of feeling shaken up and devastated herself. Cheryl picked the little Buizel up and held him comfortingly.

"Vicki...how are they?" Hayden asked worriedly.

"We should head to the relatives' room," she said carefully.

"They're dead, aren't they?!" Ryder yelled.

"Dude, not helping!" Xavier snapped. Vicki was startled.

"Uh...no, they're not. I just thought you could use the privacy."

"...oh." Ryder felt stupid for his outburst as he followed everyone to the relatives' room.

Hayden never thought he'd return to the relatives' room so soon, let alone the hospital itself. Last time he was here, it was Keenan who had gotten hurt; now it was his daughter who was suffering. The room looked exactly as it was the first time, except it appeared as though the water cooler had since been refilled, as there were more plastic cups than Hayden remembered. Vicki closed the door and looked specifically at Hayden and Lily as they sat down. Ryder sat one the small sofa nearest to the smaller rounded table while Layla headed for the water cooler, despite being puzzled about how it worked. With Ian's help, however, she produced two cups of cool water; one for her, one for Ryder. She put the two cups down on the table near Ryder before sitting next to him. Skywing sat on Xavier's head, while Xavier himself sat next to Cheryl, who was still holding the sad Buizel in her arms. Hayden and Lily sat next to one another on the three seater sofa, Lily still holding onto her son. Ian stood next to his own son as he listened to what Vicki had to say.

"Obviously I'm not going to give you false hope, nor can I tell you anything about anyone besides Alexa and the Pokémon who came in with her," she explained.

"Not even about Keith and Robbie?" Skywing asked.

"Huh? Robbie?"

"The Sawsbuck," Ian explained.

"Oh. No, I'm waiting for his boss to arrive," Vicki replied.

"Hastings?" Ryder asked begrudgingly. Vicki nodded.

"But they share the same boss," Xavier stated. "And Keith happens to be Alexa's special friend; why you can't just tell us is beyond me."

"I see. At any rate, Alexa's gone for an MRI scan, just to see if there's any internal damage in her head, considering I found cuts on the back of her head. It's just a precaution, though, I personally doubt she has any such damage, but Mr Kendrick wanted to be certain."

"Who?" Skywing asked.

"Our Clinical Lead, my boss," Vicki replied.

"Thank you," Ian said.

"You're welcome. I'll make sure you're kept up to speed," Vicki said as she left the room. As soon as Vicki closed the door behind her, Tidus leaned forwards against the back of the sofa Hayden sat on, standing near him. He looked at his old friend with concern, as did Cheryl and Chelsea with Lily. Xavier and Skywing were anxious, but Ryder was shivering with sadness.

"...Hastings...it's his fault." Skywing scoffed.

"I highly doubt that."

"Alex told him Jordan's plan! All of it; what he wanted, where he was going next, everything she was told, she passed onto him!" Ryder exclaimed. "He just told her to go after him as normal and he'd pick up the pieces, pretty much!"

"He should have rethought his instructions," Ian sighed. "Although, to be fair, there's no real way to predict when an avalanche will occur."

"I'm still angry with him! Top Rangers, Keith and Alex may be, but they're still young!" Ryder cried. Xavier huffed.

"Personally, I blame Jordan," he said cruelly. Ryder looked up at the Zoroark opposite him, hate brimming in his eyes. "He's the one who tried to kill Alex and Keith. I don't care if he repents until his deathbed, I will NEVER...EVER...forgive that guy," he snarled as a faint glimmer of dark aura shone around his entire being.

"Understandably. And I wholeheartedly agree with you, Xavier," Skywing nodded. Ryder lowered his head again, and began to sob silently. Layla placed her paw on his shoulder, but was herself close to sobbing. Hayden leaned back and sighed, knowing he was going to be in for a long wait. Tidus patted Hayden on the shoulder softly as Lily held onto Keenan, who was so emotionally exhausted he was close to falling asleep.

Two hours passed since everyone arrived in the relatives' room. Malik cradled his sleeping daughter in his arms, hovering in one corner, near the ceiling. Ian felt tense in spite of not looking it, pacing around behind the sofa Hayden and Lily sat on. Keenan had since fallen asleep, emotionally drained, much like Alexa was when he was in the hospital. Ryder and Layla sat silently, while Xavier and Skywing engaged in a conversation with Cheryl and Chelsea, with Cheryl holding a sleeping Reese on her lap. Tidus lay on the floor, underneath Malik and Ruby, in absolute silence. Everyone looked towards the door as it began to open. Professor Hastings, looking regretful and sympathetic, walked into the relatives' room, accompanied by another man nobody recognised. The stranger looked very official, dressed in a dark grey suit with a cherry pink tie. He had dirty blonde hair, with one strand sicking out from the side of his forehead, and his lime green eyes were stained with a sector of blood red hue. Accompanying him was a Gabite with a yellow collar around her neck, a thin round stone hanging from her collar.

"Professor."

"Mr Thorndyke. Mrs Thorndyke." Hastings sighed. "I am truly sorry."

"You should be," Ryder grumbled. Lily was furious.

"Ryder!" she snapped quietly.

"No, he's right. I should have requested IP officers at Mt Silver's entrance instead," Hastings said.

"What's done is done, the main thing is Lopez won't be able to act," the stranger said on an optimistic note.

"Who?" Xavier asked.

"I beg your pardon, but who are you?" Skywing asked politely.

"Chief Inspector Brent Walsh of the International Police," Brent replied. "This is my lovely lady, Margie,"

"Gah!" Margie growled politely.

"I want to start by apologising to you, Mr and Mrs Thorndyke, for what happened to your daughter," Brent said with sympathy.

"She and Keith had protection, don't worry," Ian said calmly. Hastings looked towards Ian.

"And you are...?" Ian approached Hastings, holding a hand out to him.

"Ian Thorndyke, Alexa's grandfather," he said politely. "Hayden's father," he added. Hastings shook Ian's hand as he smiled.

"I see. Very nice to meet you, I've had the pleasure of momentarily working with your son," he said optimistically.

"Yes, I've heard all about it," Ian said. He looked towards Brent, losing his smile. "Are they all right?"

"Sadly, I know next to nothing," Brent sighed. Margie walked over to Layla and began her attempt to cheer up the sad shining Zangoose.

"I assumed we'd have been informed regularly...!" Skywing grumbled.

"All I know is two of the casualties have been rushed to Theatre," Hastings said reluctantly. Ryder looked up at him.

"Why would they put on a show?" he asked.

"No, Ryder, a hospital theatre is where surgical procedures take place," Ian explained. Ryder was still confused.

"Recall Phoenix's last accident; he had to undergo surgery," Skywing explained hesitantly. Ryder lowered his head sadly again. Phoenix's last accident was when he fought a trainer's Garchomp, and was critically struck just below his throat by the dragon's claw.

"...okay..." Xavier stood up quickly, startling Cheryl.

"No it's not! Is Alex one of them?!"

"We don't know," Hastings replied.

"Try not to worry, folks; no news is good news. At any rate, I must inform the Clinical Lead that three of his patients are wanted criminals. C'mon, Margie, let's go."

"Gah," Margie nodded. She waved farewell to Layla before she left the room with her partner. Brent closed the door behind his Gabite companion, leaving Hastings and the family in peace.

"How did you get here anyway?" Ryder asked as Hastings sat down on the only sofa not already occupied.

"The International Police has numerous police boats," he explained. "They're vital, considering most regions lack airports."

"Professor, what happens now?" Lily asked worriedly.

"Well, Keith and Alexa will need to recover, so...they're to stay in Johto on sick leave," Hastings said.

"You mean if they survive...?" Ryder sighed.

"Ryder, if you remember, Phoenix chowed down on Charti Berries; if that doesn't say he was prepared, I don't know what does," Ian said positively.

Hayden suddenly stood up and walked out of the room. Tidus attempted to follow him, but Hayden gestured him not to. Hayden's sudden departure left Tidus concerned and Ian confused.

"Was it something I said?"

Hayden walked through the hospital until he found Brent talking to Kendrick, while Margie stared at the Clinical Lead's round stomach. The conversation finished between the two men, but Brent unintentionally met up with Hayden as he walked away from Kendrick.

"Mr Thorndyke. Is something wrong?" Brent asked.

"No, I-I was just going to ask of my daughter, that's all," Hayden replied.

"I see. Seeing your kids in pain and not being able to help them...it's every parent's worst nightmare," Brent mumbled, stroking his chin.

"Have you got kids?" Hayden asked spontaneously.

"I do, yes. Two daughters, Sammi and Eboni. Mr Thorndyke, I know it's hard seeing your own daughter in pain, but at least you can be there for her," Brent smiled. "Sometimes, knowing that someone you love is nearby is the best medicine."

"Thank you," Hayden said quietly.

"You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must speak with the doctors treating the poachers. If you have any other questions, you're welcome to ask any time I'm here."

"I will, thank you," Hayden thanked. He and Brent parted ways, Hayden making his way towards Kendrick, who seemed to have seen him coming.

"Can I help you, Mr Thorndyke?" he asked nicely.

"My daughter. Is she all right?" Hayden asked worriedly.

"We're still waiting for her MRI results, but she is stable," Kendrick began. "You're welcome to sit with her if you wish."

"Thank you," Hayden smiled. The two men heard the beeping sound of Kendrick's pager. He took the little black device from his pocket and looked at the blue LCD screen.

"Oh, I'm needed in Theatre. If you'll excuse me-"

"Please, go ahead," Hayden said politely. Kendrick spotted Isolde exiting resus.

"Doctor Jenkins!" he called. "Can you take Mr Thorndyke to see his daughter please?"

"Yes, of course," Isolde nodded. Hayden and Kendrick exchanged nods as the Clinical Lead headed towards Theatre. "Right this way, please." Skywing spotted Isolde leading Hayden towards resus as he flew towards the Health Wing.

The Pokémon side of the hospital looked identical to the human side, except with equipment specifically for Pokémon treatment. He flew past Jordan's Haxorus, Andy's Scrafty and Gabby's Roserade, all of whom were under warming blankets. He finally found Phoenix and Robbie, both of whom were finally conscious and recovering after their respective treatments; Phoenix's wings were folded carefully and bandaged together, preventing him from flying, with a dressing in between his wing joints, while Robbie's front left ankle was in a plaster, and he had bandages around his head and torso.

"Hello. Are you two well?" Skywing asked.

"Saws," Robbie nodded. "Saw...Sawsbuck..."

"Rhrrrrgh."

"As far as we know, they're doing well. The doctors recognised your shielding, Phoenix," Skywing smiled feebly.

"Saws?"

"Rhrrgh."

"Sawsbuck!" Robbie smiled happily, impressed with Phoenix's endeavour.

"Hrrgh. Rhrrrgh."

"No, and even if there was, they would not tell us because we are not next of kin," Skywing replied.

"Sawsbuck...!"

"Robbie, our concern is to be with Alexa and Keith, not to the poachers who tried to do them harm."

"Sawsbuck."

"Rhrrrgh. Hrrgh rhrrrgh."

"Saws..."

"There is no need to worry; if Phoenix escaped without life-threatening wounds, Keith and Alexa will have as well."

"Rhrrgh..." Phoenix looked at his claws with regret. "Hrrgh rhrrgh...rhrrgh."

"Phoenix, it is better that they have cuts on the backs of their heads than a smashed skull."

"Rhrrgh."

"Sawsbuck..."

"Have faith. Ian certainly does."

Isolde led Hayden into resus, which had since grown extremely quiet since Alexa, Keith, Jordan, Andy and Gabby were brought in. She led Hayden to the resuscitation room where Keith and Alexa lay on their beds. Both Keith and Alexa had bandages around their heads and the red jackets of their Ranger uniforms removed. Their gloves and stylers were also absent. Hayden's main focus was Alexa, who had new bandages around her right forearm and left wrist; both wounds had become agitated during the confrontation before the avalanche. Hayden noticed a white screen in front of Keith's bed, obscuring Alexa from his view.

"Why is there a screen?" he asked.

"Oh, that has nothing to do with your daughter," Isolde laughed nervously. "I can remove it if-"

"No. If she wakes up, I'd rather not subject her to Keith's condition," Hayden said suddenly.

"You know this boy?" Isolde asked.

"Of course; he's my daughter's partner," Hayden replied.

"I see. We're still waiting for their MRI results to come back, but we have no reason to worry about them otherwise. We're just monitoring them right now, but you're welcome to stay."

Hayden nodded and slowly made his way to his daughter's bedside as Isolde returned to her duties. Hayden gently took Alexa's left hand as he looked at her. He looked sad, but, deep down, Hayden was furious at the one responsible for his daughter's pain.

"So you'll notify me if he's awake?" Brent asked Dean. Both of whom were standing in an area with numerous cubicles around them, each one divided by a thick blue curtain. Behind them, nurses were rushed off of their feet, treating the patients who were yet to be discharged. Margie watched the hustle intently.

"Absolutely, I've cleared it with Mr Kendrick, and he's willing to cooperate with the International Police," Dean confirmed.

"Thank you. Of course, this will mean I will need to be brought up to speed with the conditions of Miss Gabriella La Roza and Mr Anthony Murdoch as well. Will that be a problem?" Brent asked.

"No, not at all, Chief Inspector," Dean smiled. "Mr Murdoch's currently under the warming blanket, but I'm not sure of Miss La Roza; I believe she's still in Theatre."

"Thank you, Doctor Jones, you've been a tremendous help," Brent smiled.

"Finn, slow down!" Kendrick said loudly, walking quickly after a frustrated Doctor Finn Johnson. Dean, Margie and Brent watched in confusion.

"I should have seen it sooner, Mr Kendrick! If I had-"

"Finn, she had a depressed skull fracture, it was hard to spot under all of that hair," Kendrick explained, finally catching up with Finn. "If anything, she would have-"

"Pardon me, gentlemen, but is there a problem?" Brent asked.

"Oh, hello, Chief Inspector Walsh. Are you asking of the three who were brought in with the young Pokémon Rangers?" Kendrick asked.

"The poachers, yes," Brent confirmed. "I have a warrant for their arrest, you see."

"Hmph," Finn pouted. "You'll have to make do with two out of three."

"I'm sorry?"

"Finn!?" Dean was horrified at Finn's manner. Or lack thereof. Kendrick sighed heavily.

"I'm afraid there were complications in Theatre," he began. "Miss La Roza died ten minutes ago." Dean was shocked; Finn had just lost his first patient for a while. No wonder he was worked up.

"I see. Will you be able to provide me with the details?" Brent asked carefully.

"Of course; I've already requested a post mortem," Kendrick nodded.

"Thank you. I will need to inform Professor Hastings and the two Top Rangers will also need to be notified," Brent added.

"Tell the professor by all means, but not the kids," Kendrick insisted. "At least wait until they've got their MRI results back—speaking of which, Dean, can you chase them up?"

"Sure," Dean nodded as he walked away from cubicles, Finn choosing to follow him.

"I don't plan to inform the children yet anyway; they escaped death themselves, after all."

Skywing flew back into the relatives' room after Xavier kindly opened the door for him. Xavier closed the door behind Skywing as he flew over to the middle of the table.

"Just to let you know, Robbie and Phoenix are fine," Skywing said happily. "Phoenix can't fly for a few weeks, however, and Robbie's body temperature is still relatively low, but the doctors are sure they'll recover fully."

"That's great news," Lily smiled.

"Indeed," Skywing nodded. "Robbie was lucky to escape with a sprained ankle and bruising as well." A knock at the door interrupted Skywing as Brent poked his head through the door.

"Sorry, Professor, can we have a word in private?" he asked.

"Certainly," Hastings replied as he stood up.

"A word?" Xavier asked worriedly.

"Relax, it's nothing to do with the young Rangers, I assure you," Brent smiled. He closed the door once Hastings was out of the room.

"I still wonder where Hayden went," Lily said worriedly.

"To sit with Alexa," Skywing answered.

"How do you know?" Ryder asked. His eyes were red, irritated by the tears he cried.

"I heard a lady doctor talking to Hayden about it and saw her escorting him to resus while I was on my way to the Health Wing."

"Ah. Skywing? Y-you don't appear worried," Xavier said shyly. Skywing sighed.

"My dear Zoroark...I was terrified when we first heard the news of the avalanche. I am, however, taking comfort in remembering that Keith and our dear Alexa were found under our fierce leader, who, need I add, would do anything to ensure her safety," Skywing smiled. "Surely I need not remind anyone of the measures Phoenix took the night before."

Hastings returned to the relatives' room alone, and quietly, to not disturb Keenan or Reese, who were still sleeping. Ruby had woken up and was locked in a gentle embrace with her cherished father, Malik. Hastings sat in his original place and sighed.

"Is everything all right?" Ian asked.

"If you please, I'd very much rather not divulge you with the details," he said quietly. "But I can say Chief Inspector Walsh meant what he said."

"Oh..." Ryder looked very glum indeed. Layla placed her head on his shoulder, and Ryder placed his arm around her.

Jordan slowly regained consciousness. Even when his vision straightened out, he didn't recognise the man standing in front of him, arms folded and staring daggers at him. He tried to sit up, only to flinch in agony, which was when he discovered his right arm in a sling. He looked around at his surroundings; he was in one of the hospital's many recovery rooms. Each room looked the same; deep brown laminate flooring, pale goldenrod painted walls, translucent lilac curtains pulled over the window, slightly obscuring the white vase of fake multicoloured flowers on the window sill and a small wardrobe at the far end of the room. Jordan groaned as he tried to sit up.

"Steady, Lopez; your little fail-heist almost cost you that arm," Brent said coldly.

"Who are you?" Jordan asked nastily.

"Chief Inspector Brent Walsh, International Police. I'm in charge of your case now that Top Rangers Keith and Alexa are-"

"Dead, I hope," Jordan said insensitively. Margie growled furiously, bearing her fangs. A gentle stroke behind her neck soon calmed the Gabite down.

"No. But, sadly, I can only make two arrests," Brent continued.

"What..?" Jordan asked in both confusion and suspicion.

"Miss Gabriella La Roza died because of your gluttonous desires," Brent stated. Jordan buried his face in his hand and sighed in disbelief.

"Oh, God...!"

"Jordan Lopez, I'm arresting you on suspicion of Pokémon poaching and murder," Brent stated firmly. "You do not have to say anything, and anything you do say may be given in evidence."

Hayden sat next to Alexa's bedside, still holding onto her hand. From time to time, either Isolde or Naomi would come into resus to check on Alexa and Keith, even though neither one had deteriorated. Resus was quiet compared to the rest of the hospital, which Hayden appreciated; he wanted to be left in peace with his daughter. He soon heard her faint moaning as she began to stir. He watched as Alexa opened her eyes and looked up weakly at him. Hayden smiled warmly, with tears in his eyes, ready to fall down his face.

"...dad..." Alexa sounded as weak as she looked and felt; she hadn't much strength in her if at all. Even talking was difficult for her, she was reduced to whispers for communication.

"Take it easy, sweetheart. You still need to rest," Hayden said softly.

"...w-where...b-bro..."

"With your mother," Hayden replied gently. "He's unharmed. It's you and Keith we're worried about."

"...Keith...? ...w-where...?"

"He's nearby, don't worry. Listen, love, when you two are out of the hospital, you can rest at home. The International Police is taking over your case; your job's done, Lexie. You and Keith are going to be on sick leave anyway, but you've both earned a rest." Alexa just stared at her father; even though she was extremely weak, the tiniest of smiles crept on Alexa's face. She was happy her mission was over, and she could actually spend quality time with her family without worrying about her duty. A tear escaped her eye. "Come here."

Hayden very carefully pulled Alexa up and held her softly in a cuddle. Alexa held onto her father with everything she could muster, which in actuality wasn't much at all, trying her hardest not to cry. Hayden, too, tried not to cry, but the inevitable tear escaped his eye.

"I promise you, Alexa. He'll never hurt you or Keith ever again." Hayden ever so slightly tightened his grip on his daughter. "I promise."

The sound of a moving screen caught Hayden and Alexa's attention as they watched Isolde moving the screen from the middle of resus, revealing the equally groggy Keith, who had managed to regain his consciousness as well. Keith, having heard everything Hayden said, gave Alexa a smile, which Alexa lovingly returned. Hayden felt relieved knowing that Keith and Alexa were going to be just fine.

_To be concluded..._


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_Jordan:_

Jordan was taken into the custody of the International Police after being discharged from the hospital. He is currently spending time in Unova Penitentiary until a date and venue for his trial have been decided.

His Pokémon – Haxorus, Aggron, Conkeldurr and Skarmory – have been sent to a special shelter, where the debate to have them put to sleep is still ongoing.

_Andy:_

Andy was arrested by the International Police after being discharged. Devastated at the loss of his colleague, Gabby, he anonymously gave evidence against Jordan. Because of his co-operation and understanding that he had no part in slaughtering Pokémon, Andy was sentenced to 4 years minimum in Sevii State Prison with a chance of parole after 2 years.

His Scrafty fell ill from hypothermia, but later died as a result. Arbok and Fearow were sent to a Pokémon shelter; the decision to let Andy keep them has yet to be made.

_Gabby:_

Following her death, a post mortem was carried out. Her autopsy revealed her cause of death to have been a depressed skull fracture – as Clinical Lead Mr Kendrick predicted – which caused pressure to build up in her brain.

Her Roserade never regained consciousness; she died from hypothermia. Liepard and Swanna were sent to the same shelter as Jordan and Andy's Pokémon; Liepard was put to sleep for being a dangerous Pokémon, but Swanna is currently awaiting adoption.

_Keith, Alexa and Keenan:_

Keith and Alexa's MRI results came back, and revealed no abnormalities. The pair were discharged after a couple of days of observation in the hospital. Professor Hastings gave them sick leave and were allowed to stay in Johto until they made a full recovery, physically and emotionally.

With Jordan no longer a threat, Keenan looked forward to spring without fear of anyone ruining it for everyone else.

Phoenix and Robbie were discharged from the hospital before Alexa and Keith. Because of their injuries, Phoenix was left unable to fly for at least several weeks, and Robbie had to put as little pressure on his front left foot as possible for a couple of weeks.

_One day..._

The Goldenrod City Department Store was fairly busy for a weekday. The shops were open and relatively busy, the coffee shops were full of resting shoppers and people flooded the pathways. There were people of all varieties around; groups of friends on a shopping spree, families on a day out, couples on a date...like Keith and Alexa. Alexa and Keith ignored the screaming children and the chortling teenage groups around them and focused on their own conversation as they each carried several different coloured shopping bags between them. Even though their outing was a casual one, both Keith and Alexa looked casually smart; Keith wore his white shirt and black jeans – which had since been laundered after his unintentional dive into the Kanto ocean near Cinnabar Island – with his treasured dog tags hanging around his neck, over his shirt, while Alexa wore her teal single-sleeved shirt with her grey leggings, as well as her cherished emerald choker and, for some unknown reason, the headband with the turquoise bow from Ollie and Elaine's wedding on her head.

"Man I am loving this place!" Keith said joyfully as he admired the large shopping venue. Ignoring the potentially annoying customers all around him, of course. "You were right about this place, babe!"

"Now you see why I love coming here," Alexa smiled.

"Yeah, I do," Keith nodded. He soon lost his smile, which confused Alexa until Keith spoke up again. "Where's a good place to eat?" Alexa giggled.

"I'll show you, come on," she replied as she led Keith down an oddly quiet pathway.

The food court wasn't as busy as Alexa had thought, especially given that it was lunchtime. Only approximately 20% of the 1,000 or so seats were occupied, and the restaurants circling the seating area weren't nearly as busy as expected. Regardless, Keith and Alexa purchased their lunch – handmade sandwiches with milkshakes and one large cookie each – sat down on a table furthest away from the masses and ate their lunch in peace. However, Alexa felt concerned about the lack of conversation during lunch, and chose to ask about it as she gradually consumed her strawberry milk, which, to her sheer delight, was in fact made with fresk MooMoo Milk.

"You okay?" Alexa asked. "You haven't said a word since we sat down."

"Sorry," Keith sighed. "I guess I'm still thinking about everything that happened," he admitted, stirring his banana milkshake with the red and white straw.

"The avalanche or the rest of it?" Alexa asked reluctantly.

"Both," Keith answered. "But I know I shouldn't," he added, looking at Alexa straight in her eyes. "I should look ahead, not back."

"Agreed," Alexa smiled. "And you'd better look forward to tonight; I bought a new game for us to try while you weren't looking." She pulled out a thin rectangular plastic case from one of her bags and passed it over to Keith; after a quick glance of the cover, which depicted a Zorua with a Chimchar, Piplup and Turtwig, he read the text on the back of the box.

"...huh. Looks cool."

"It's pretty much an adventure game with minigames here and there," Alexa explained as she reclaimed the box when Keith handed it over to her after he finished reading. "Nothing overly special, but I thought it'd be nice to play it with you," she said as she returned the box into the bag she pulled it out from.

"I'm game," Keith smiled. "Alexa?"

"Hm?" Alexa glanced over at Keith as she drank her delicious beverage through her yellow and white straw.

"Are there any other places worth visiting?" Keith asked. Alexa smiled at him as she removed the tip of the straw from her mouth.

"Of course, this place is full of them," she replied.

"Great. You know...I'm glad we chose to come here after Jordan was taken care of," Keith said kindly. Alexa nodded.

"So am I," she agreed.

After their milkshakes and cookies were consumed, Keith and Alexa left the table, Alexa courteously taking the plastic tray with their rubbish with her as they left. She dropped the rubbish in the nearby bin and placed the tray on top of the pile of other trays on top of the bin before she and Keith left the food court entirely, destined for more shopping and fun.

_~ Fin..._


End file.
